Blog 3.2 Art Nouveau

Q1) What role did the arts and crafts movement play in the development of the Art Nouveau style?

A1) The AN style was a sort of rebellion to the A&C style. This is partially because designers such as Victor Horta were tired of history repeating itself. For example, the A&C style had elements of the Gothic era in it's works; history was always playing a part in "new" design and artists of the AN movement longed for a completely new and original style.

We can see obvious rebellions against the A&C movement in the following ways:

a) The A&C style used local flora and fauna as inspiration for their designs. They liked to keep it local as that was what was most against the mass production techniques of the time. However, artists such as Lalique of the AN style used exotic flora and fauna; the complete opposite of the A&C way.

b) A&C colours were very toned down and earthy, and while some AN artists did resort back to pastel shades, AN is very known for its rich jewel tones.

c) While the A&C style was very local and earthy, as well as gothic in its inspiration, the AN style was all about fantasy. The colours were bold and sensual, the lines reminicent of the female form and the creatures of mythical lands and far off destinations. Think of it this way; A&C was the eldest child who was all about ecofriendly "green" products and going back to his roots while AN was indeed the younger child in the family but was always rebellious and in her own world of fantasy and make believe. She dreamt of distant lands, of luxury and sensuality. She was never softspoken but sometimes misunderstood.


Q2) Pick 3 individuals who were important in the development of the AN style. Explain why.

A2) There are so many individuals to choose from because AN was interpreted differently between countries and thus began differently, but I'll pick three randomly anyway.

a) Emile Galle of France.
Galle was such an instrumental influence because he had studied philosophy and the natural world from the beginning. He was also very strong and never soft spoken in his desire to stay true to his interpretation of AN and resist the flamboyancy of artists such as Hector Guimard from Paris by creating what would later be known as "The School of Nancy." His interpretation of AN was also very unique to other artists of this movment in taht he liked complexity in his works while other countries such as Scotland opted for simplicity and he loved overall simplicity where most artists relished in the new ability to use abstraction in their works.

b)Sigmund Freud
As some know, Sigmund Freud was an inspiration for many in the AN movement because of his experience delving into the unconcious and locating and explaining dreams and their meanings. His work was later interpreted as fantasy and mystery by AN artists. His dreams were turned into the dreams of artists and everyday people of the mysteries of far off lands and what lies within the deepest depths of ones brain.

c) Louis C. Tiffany
Of course I have to include Mr. Tiffany, for his work is still some of the best around today. He of took over artistic direction for Tiffany and Co. and led the company in glasswork which was so popular during AN and still continues to be popular today and the company is still known for their magnificent glasswork. His work was high above the rest and his creativity was vast as we can tell by his creation of "favrile" glass and his imitation of ancient weathered glass. Tiffany used bright colours and abstract motifs to get his point across. I feel like he was at the opposite end of the spectrum from Galle, but still a great thinker for his movement.


Q3) Why did the popularity of the AN style fade so quickly?

A3) The clientelle of AN artists was small in the first place because the materials and labours were so expensive (partially because of the handmade techniques borrowed from the A&C movement and otherwise because of the exotic attributes of the movement), but when WWI came into play, the wealthy niche market that before so fully supported AN artists, now turned their wealthy little heads upon supporting the war efforts. Also, during WWI, the over-the-top dreamlike attitude of AN was put on the back burner to make room for concentration on the war and the reality that ideas and attitudes were again changing to a more functional and less decorative way of life.
This is further exemplified by mass production techniques hitting an all time high because of the huge number of supplies needed for the war. The time before WWI was a dreamers society, but all dreams were being lost in the urgency and cold hard truth of war and art was put on the backburner while the need for survival was brought to the foreground.