Week 3: Art Nouveau

  Week 3: Art Nouveau

 

While the arts and crafts movement was inspired from a historical standpoint within a more medieval style, the Art Nouveau movement was built off the idea of nature rather than history and tradition. When it came to nature, flowers, insects, birds, and vines were commonly used for artwork and served as a tool of inspiration for artists. Many characteristics of this movement included a rejection of Victorian style and any imitation of historical styles. This art style was more modernized as iron and glass were often used to produce this type of artwork. Modern techniques were utilized such as industrial production and electricity.

 

I found it interesting that this art movement had precise locations, particularly within France. Two major cities hosted this art which were Paris and Nancy. They were notably intellectual centers and they were associated with different artists and manufacturers. Two examples that stand out are Emile Galle and Louis Majorette. Emile was trained in botany and was very skilled in crafting glass. Louis studied painting and specialized in furniture design as well as decoration.

 

 

 

A very influential artist of this time was Antoni Gaudi. He took different styles and approaches to art in more creative and risky ways. He would use flowing curves and unusual decorations to create structures that described fantasy, but of those that resembled nature. He often used glass, ceramic, iron, and wood. He was inspired by oriental arts of different ethnic origins such as India, Persia, and Japan. He graduated from the Provincial School of Architecture and he was a dominant figure in Spain. The Sagrada Familia located in Spain, is known for its rich interior which contains columns that resemble trees because of their height and branches.

 

 

One Step Further: Victor Horta

 

Victor Horta was a Belgian architect and designer who focused heavily on mosaic patterns involving tiles that would be spread out on floors, walls, and even ceilings. He also made unique iron railings and hardware which seeped into one of his famous architects: The Horta House. This building was asymmetrical and had a twisted iron balcony. It also had large window frames and his works would often have a more curvature shape to them which nature would serve as the main decorator. His work is seen as an understanding of the industrial advances with glass and iron as structures. His buildings entail a unique idea of iron being twisted and bent to form shapes such as vines or other means of nature.

Horta achieved the title of being an innovator and had a lot of influence on one of the Art Nouveau architects: Hector Guimard. Hector was an architect, industrial designer, and writer. He incorporated different materials like wood and carved it in a curvilinear style. He was inspired by Victor Horta with different ways he could create designs that involved the use of plants. He also inspired many architects in Belgium with the use of his curvature and twisted designs which were aesthetically pleasing to many people. Victor was not just good with Art Nouveau, he was adaptable and easily transitioned into other styles such as art deco when public tastes evolved. Even though many of his works would be demolished, he was respected during his lifetime for his skill in Art Nouveau.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

Victor Horta Architecture, Bio, Ideas | TheArtStory

The life and designs of Antoni Gaudi (youtube.com)

Major Town Houses of the Architect Victor Horta ... (UNESCO/NHK) (youtube.com)