Art Nouveau (french for New Art) was a style change in not only art, but architecture and applied arts that peaked in popularity at the turn of the twentith centry. Also known as Jugendstil, after the german magazine modeled after the style. It is characterized by organic, expecially floral and plant images. Probably the most well known peice created during this time for me would be in France, Hector Guimard's metro entrances shaped in the landscape of Paris.
When I was in France this J-term I saw a lot of this style of art all over. Drawings with thick outlines and then simplisitc coloring with floral decorations. I was really inspired by this style of art, and would like to try this out with some of my works, perhaps creating my own paintings. My only question is why this period was so brief and swift to end, I really feel it was a time of modern beauty and yet we quickly moved away from this style. I don't recall reading much on this style in the US, what happened back home?
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Dearest Mandy,
ReplyDeleteAfter finding next to nothing relating to the short-lived Art Nouveau period on Google (damn you and your questions...), I'm going to state my own reasons it didn't last very long. Since Art Nouveau was the first modern style and the first to be promoted by mass communications, I believe that once the concept was understood and distinguished, many artists wanted to continue adapting new styles and continue the modern trend forward. They didn't want to stick on one art style but design based on what people wanted to see, what was new and intriguing. When I looked at a timeline, it seems that Post Impressionism came slightly after Art Nouveau, so this may have been a huge turning point in design because this was also a very significant art period so it must have overshadowed your beloved Art Nouveau.
As for your second question, I found a decent link to fill you in if you want to check it out: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/artn/hd_artn.htm