Introduction
Art Nouveau is a common name for a decorative style that was flourishing during roughly 1890-1910. Not only did it exist in graphics and architecture, but it was also used for the decoration or designing furniture, utensils, fabrics, ceramics, jewelry, door frames, subway entrances, and many other things. The term first appeared in 1895 as a name of a Paris gallery, which has later become an artists’ international meeting place. Without any doubt, each art style is unique, but the fact that distinguishes Art Nouveau is that this style has broken barriers between fine arts and applied arts, i.e. connected the elite world of masterpieces with the mundane realm of painted kitchen utensils.
The Concepts and Tendencies of Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an art phenomenon that emerged from a complicated substratum of late 19th-century art and fashion. It was influenced by such factors as 19th-century scientific findings, Japanese art, medieval tradition, and quite a lot of others.
Despite its specificity, Art Nouveau cannot be classified as mere surface decoration. It rose from historicism that was an essential feature of the art of 19th century and it is considered a bridge from Victorian art to modernism. The complexity of this period leads to a double interpretation of Art Nouveau: on the one hand, its decorativeness can be seen as a part of late 19th-century aesthetics; on the other hand, its mystical values are viewed as a reaction to the materialism of this time (Meggs and Purvis 200).
Symbolism can be identified as a significant element of Art Noveau. “Religion, mythology, history, literature, botany, oceanography, opened an endless vista of subject,” states Arwas (13), “but it was the Symbolist approach to those subjects that made them the stuff of Art Nouveau.”
It is often considered that Art Nouveau was a reaction against such styles as the Gothic revival, neo-Rococo, and neo-Baroque. In fact, these styles seriously contributed to Art Nouveau. It must be admitted, though, that Art Nouveau was an anti-movement at its birth, it rejected the old elements of previous style conceptions, and its color scheme differs dramatically from what was before (Tschudi-Madsen 137-138).
As it was already mentioned, Art Nouveau rose under considerable influence of Japanese art. In general, the popularity of all things Japanese was at its peak in Western Europe. The folie for collecting Japanese artifacts, particularly ukiyo-e art pieces, has got a name of Japonism. Some supporters of Art Nouveau were collectors of such things as well. For the central part, the influence of Japanese style touched interior decoration and applied art. Simple, fragile structure of the furniture and rectilinearism in decoration became the features adopted from Japanese style, along with floral ornament with eliminated background plane (Tschudi-Madsen 191-195).
Speaking of flowers, it must not be forgotten that Art Nouveau has developed something that Stephen Tschudi-Madsen called “the cult of plant and line” (Tschudi-Madsen 164). “Colorful, exquisitely crafted glass vases; silver serving vessels in elegant shapes; lavishly decorated bronze statues; richly ornamented and engraved silver and pewter, and imaginative jewelry, such as intricate necklaces and pendants combining enameled metals and jewels” – such is the description of an Art Nouveau collection (“Collectibles” par. 2). The preferred motifs of this style were flowers, grape tendrils, birds, and female forms (Meggs and Purvis 200).
Female images is another impressive aspect of Art Nouveau. An Art Nouveau “new woman” is no longer a cold, prude, Victorian-like lady: she is daring, she can even be “dark, sexy and scandalous” (Smith par. 4). For instance, the women depicted by Jules Chéret, the so-called Chérettes, were depicted as self-confident women who did not fit into sexist standards, but were having a good time, drinking, and smoking (Meggs and Purvis 202).
The National Aspects of Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau was definitely an international movement, but, nevertheless, in each country it expressed itself in a different way.
English Art Nouveau was concerned with drawing rather than architecture or commercial production process. It took a lot of features from Gothic and Victorian painting. English artists had a strong urge to make the movement international, and for that reason they created “The Studio” – the first international art periodical (Meggs and Purvis 205). Conversely, in France Art Nouveau was more of a way of decorating things. It appeared as a suburban phenomenon, but it managed to become a nationwide fashion once it reached Paris (Arwas 10). Belgium has become an Art Nouveau center as early as at the beginning of the 1890s due to its talented architects, who practiced designing Art Nouveau buildings (Meggs and Purvis 220). German Art Nouveau (under the name Jugendstil) has experienced strong French and British influence, but still had links to traditional academic art (Meggs and Purvis 224). Art Nouveau has also affected the art of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Netherlands, Austria, Czech Republic, Nordic countries, and even Russia and Poland. The style has also reached America through French and British influence (Meggs and Purvis 214).
The Uniqueness of Art Nouveau
It is probably the most perplexing quality of Art Nouveau that this kind of style is all-embracing, no matter whether it is architecture and interior design or an ornament on a teacup, a placate or a glass lamp, jewelry or a piece of pottery. Art Nouveau was a new way of thinking, the way that aimed to make art surround people everywhere, even at usual moments of life such as having breakfast. The artists of this direction were using their fine art skills for commercial printing process (Meggs and Purvis 200). Such attitude has made art products available for various social classes, not only for the elite. This approach means an absolutely new, modern understanding of the purpose and meaning of art.
Conclusion
Art Nouveau was a complicated style, which basically was a transition from old patterns to modernism. It borrowed a lot from Victorian, Gothic style, Japanese style, neo-Rococo, and neo-Baroque. An essential achievement of Art Nouveau was that it blurred the boundaries between elite art and the art of decoration of utilitarian objects. Due to this style, fine art has become available for different social classes. Art Nouveau artists have made art an integral element of people’s life, thus changing the previous understanding of the purpose of art. Unfortunately, using art for commercial production eventually (and inevitably) led to a dramatic decrease in the quality of the art, while the World War I made the aesthetics of Art Nouveau almost completely irrelevant. However, the artworks of those times still earn excited gasps and are presented on contemporary expositions. These precious objects are kept in museums or sometimes are very pricy lots on auctions.
Works Cited
Arwas, Victor. Art Nouveau: The French Aesthetic. London: Andreas Papadakis Publisher, 2002. Print.
“Collectibles: Restoring Art Nouveau’s Legacy.” Los Angeles Times 1995: n.pag. Web.
Meggs, Philip B. and A.W. Purvis. Meggs’ History of Graphic Design. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Print.
Smith, Stephen. “Art Nouveau – a Magical Style.” The Guardian. Web. 2012.
Tschudi-Madsen, Stephan. The Art Nouveau Style: A Comprehensive Guide with 264 Illustrations. Mineola, Dover Publications, 2002. Print.