Art Nouveau

 Arts Nouveau


January 31st, 2023



The art that was brought into the new era in a way that was unseen before. The Arts Nouveau is “ new art” that is brought into spaces that are designs that originated from new and past designs. This type of design was not based on  the traditional and historical designs that we saw in the past eras. This design is based on new technology and manufacturing processes. More or less it's embracing the new and upcoming design . Art nouveau was inspired by medieval history and embraces change and process. This started back in 1895 when a man by the name of Maison Bing opened a shop in Paris called “Art Nouveau”. As shown below.

 

Maison de l'Art Nouveau ("House of New Art")

 

Art nouveau was inspired by Japanese art from the flowers, birds, vines and  also insects which was used as sources of inspiration to create a design for space that is more artistic and attractive to the eye. Inspiration from these features created more curvilinear forms to be very dominant. What I found also interesting was that it revolted from the Victorian style. Which was very clustered to the Art Nouveau which is more modern and artistic. 

Victor Horta has a huge contribution to being involved in the Art Nouveau. He was considered to be the most influential designer of this period. As seen above this was a design that emphasizes the curvilinear pattern and art. The material that he focused on was iron railings and hardware. I find the Tassel house very intriguing as it flows while highlighting the art on the wall. Victor Horta did many things as a designer. He defined the relationship between aesthetics and morality by observing nature. This technique was shown through the details in his work. Below are some features of the  metal rails 

and curvilinear aspects he included in the Horta Hotel. 







Many designers contributed to the furniture, specifically chairs. As examining different  eras this one by far seems to be more neutral as far as colors but focused on form. As shown below these are three different chairs that Henry Van de Velde created. The side chair was intended to employ easy curves but intended to stand on its own. As for the Kessler Diplomats chair it focuses on the advancement of decorative qualities that enhances on form and material while the desk is in the same perspective yet still having the features of a desk .


 

Office Desk                                                              Kessler Diplomats Chair 1897

  SIde Chair 1895




Art nouveau was based in many countries such as Belgium,France ,Spain and the United states. The two countries that were heavily focused on this era were Paris and Nancy. These were major cities that focused on this design. Nancy was a city of artistic and intellectual centers. Emile Galle contributed to designing furniture and interiors, One chair that stood out was the Firescreen chair. She designed this chair to have complexity and also include exotic woods and organic forms. What I found to be unique about this piece was the vinyl engravings in the back of the chair. As I mentioned earlier in my blog was that they were inspired by these natural features, yet she incorporated it in her design. I found that very intriguing and beautiful element to the chair. 

Emile Galle. Firescreen




Art nouveau still exists today with its architectural aspects. As some places have been remodeled they are still standing today. I would say my favorite place is the Casa Batllo in Barcelona. I find the facade with colorful glass so memorable with its curved balconies to pull the exterior together. Below are some facades that are still standing today that are based on the Art Nouveau design.



CASA BATTLÓ, BARCELONA, SPAIN


 

METRO ENTRANCES, PARIS, FRANCE






One step further:

Hector Guimard ( 1867-1942)


He was considered to be the most significant architect and designer in Paris. Between being a designer and architect he was also a writer. Which I found very interesting to take on that role with all the other careers that he was already was doing. He worked mainly on residential interior and furnishings.  With that being said he focused on iron alloy, glass and stone materials in his work. He wanted to create curvilinear designs while still having them look handcrafted which made him stand out. He was taking these materials and using them in a unique way. Hector valued harmony and continuity which you could really see in his designs. Specifically the furniture. Below is a chair he did called the side chair. It's organic yet curvilinear. This is features that he strived for overall.

.


Other sources:


Explanation on Art Nouveau

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lfM0z9cV4k


Explanation on Furniture in Art Nouveau

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBk5finx0Tw


Comments

  1. Izabella CleavelandFebruary 3, 2023 at 12:05 PM

    Kahlan,
    I liked your definition on Art Nouveau by saying "this design is based on new technology and manufacturing processes." It is very true and straightforwards that this era was the era on using machinery to make designs rather than handcrafted like the art and craft movement. Another thing that is very different about your blog is that rather than focusing on this new movement as a whole, you narrowed it down to just focusing on the movement in Belgium and the impact it had. I thought it was interesting the different furniture choices you chose because each piece is different yet similar in someway.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Eva SerratoFebruary 4, 2023 at 7:20 AM

    Kahlan,
    You did a great job describing the different characteristics of Art Nouveau. I appreciated how you mentioned the inspiration of nature and how you compared it to what we saw in the pictures you provided. I liked the variety of furniture you talked about and helped me understand that furniture design was a huge part of the Art Nouveau movement. You also did a good job going into detail of the different places in the world that were effected by the movement and how they all were different in their own unique way yet still similar.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Professor VanderNoordaaFebruary 4, 2023 at 9:29 AM

    Kahlan,
    Excellent Blog entry. Beautiful introduction describing the evolution into art Nouveau. The images of Maison de l'Art Nouveau were perfect. I enjoyed how your described the attributes of this period and mentioned the Japanese influence.
    Zeroing in on Belgium was great and specifically the furniture of Henry Van de Velde. I hope to visit Belgium this summer and see some of Art Nouveau wonders there.
    Exploring Hector Guimard is more detail was excellent. His "side chair" is on of my favorites.
    Total Points: 50/50

    ReplyDelete

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