Week 4: Art Nouveau part 2

 Week 4: Art Nouveau part 2

Opposed to the first half of Art Nouveau, part 2 takes a look at how this art movement was influential in the U.S. One of the most influential designers of this time was Louis Tiffany. He was naturally gifted in jewelry making, painting, pottery, and glass. In 1885, Louis generally wanted to concentrate on stained glass art and he eventually produced many windows for American churches.

 

Louis Tiffany was a firm believer that nature should be the main source of design this can be seen with the majority of his of his designs that would feature different Landscapes animals or even plants his law of nature was closely aligned with the art Nouveau movement he was pretty significant and introducing that movement to America if you're popularizer if you popularize it through a different designs and he would encourage others to work in a similar style of him. Tiffany was mostly interested in works there from Japan China India and in nature perspective can be seen in earlier paintings as well as decorative elements in later designs.

 

There were many methods in his art such as using glass and metal, and this can be seen in the construction of lamps. One of these lamps was the Helensburgh Wall Light. It was a traditional Tiffany wall light. It had a rose pattern design that was suitable for any style of the room whether it was nature themed or took a more modern approach. Louis Tiffany's lamps would often be colorful and have symmetrical patterns. For example, the lamp shown in the PowerPoint had a lot of green colors which could resemble leaves or plants.

 

One step further: Louis Sullivan

 Louis Sullivan was an influential artist who desired to create a new style of architecture that reflected an Americanized Art Nouveau style. The methods he used were inspired by nature and he was the first architect to use steel frames for skyscrapers he had a unique ability to create visual unity in a very tall buildings the materials he often used was steel and terracotta. some of the famous buildings he created was the Charnley House of 1892 and the transportation building of 1893.

 

Sullivan's architecture was guided by a technique that was coined form follows function. He wanted to look at the purpose of a building before planning an architectural design. He would ensure that the usage of it was reflected in both the interior and exterior of his work. Sullivan was generally known for his decoration. He would use decoration to emphasize the structure of different buildings and he would use decoration to his advantage to serve as carriers for his architecture. He would utilize the twisting of iron and terracotta which would shape art Nouveau in America. He also influenced the innovation of vertical designs with his interest in skyscrapers. Skyscrapers were unique in America as the most common architecture was more horizontal.

 Sources: Louis Sullivan Paintings, Bio, Ideas | TheArtStory

                Tiffany & Co. — Louis Comfort Tiffany (youtube.com)

                 ART NOUVEAU LAMP CONSTRUCTION (youtube.com)