Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is an art style that took place at the turn of the 20th century.

There are other terms applied to this style :

• Jugendstil
• Modern style
• Sezessionsstil
• Stile Liberty

One of the most important characteristics of the style is a dynamic, undulating and flowing line of uneven rhythm.

Art Nouveau started in the 1880s and had its climax in years 1892-1902.

As a movement it has certain affinities with the Pre-Raphaelites and the Symbolist painters, and certain figures like Aubrey Beardsley. Alfons Mucha, Edward Burne-Jones, Gustav Klimt, and Jan Toorop could be classed in more than one of these styles. Unlike Symbolist painting, however, Art Nouveau had a distinctive visual look of its own; and unlike the backwards-looking Pre-Raphaelites, Art Nouveau was not shy about the use of new materials, machined surfaces, and abstraction in the service of pure design.

The principal centers of the style were :

• London
• Paris
• Chicago
• New York
• Glasgow
• Barcelona
• Amsterdam
• Munich
• Berlin
• Vienna
• Ålesund
• Oslo
• Riga

Art Nouveau preached return to Nature and tended to use organic forms, especially floral or vegetal, in ornamentation. Some line and curve patterns became graphic cliches that were later found in works of artists from all parts of the world.

The movement was against machine manufacturing items for everyday life use, so craftsmanship was promoted.

Among the most remarkable artists of Art Nouveau are:

• Architecture
  • Antoni Gaudi
  • Victor Horta[?]
  • Josef Hoffman[?]
  • Hector Guimard[?]
  • Charles Mackintosh[?]
  • Otto Wagner[?]
• drawing, graphics
  • Aubrey Beardsley
  • Alfons Mucha
  • Edvard Munch
  • Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
  • Pierre Bonnard[?]
• furniture
  • Henry van de Velde[?]
• glassware
  • Emile Galle[?]
  • René Lalique
  • Louis Comfort Tiffany
• murals and mosaics
  • Gustav Klimt

After its decline in 1907, Art Nouveau was looked down upon and the term was ascribed a pejorative meaning.

Nowadays Art Nouveau is viewed as a forerunner of the most innovative cultural movements of the 20th century like expressionism, cubism, surrealism, and Art Deco.