Art Nouveau

This movement emerged in arts and architecture in the late 19th century and in the beginning of the 20th century and was aimed to modernize the design and for who was seeking a gateway from traditional historic arts and design. A great emphasis  of this movement was to create a new era in design and fine arts that contrast and take over the traditional repetition of arts such as traditional paintings and sculptures into a decorative form of art.

Artist which were working during this movement drew inspiration from both geometrical and mainly organic shapes with mainly inspiring themselves from nature with development to work which illustrates flow in design which is combined with natural forms.

A characteristic of manufacturing of product during the Art Nouveau period was the revival of thoughts such as that of William Morris to produce products with aesthetically value but with the use of mass production such as that of the industrial revolution which produced mass produced products which were poorly made without any valuable craftsmanship. The idea was to combine both William Morris idea of using good craftsmanship combined with the idea of production developed in the industrial revolution to produced a modern designed product.

Products designed and produced during the Art Nouveau movement contains a considerable element of nature inspiration as in the majority of the products leaves, insects and other natural elements are the main feature in the design of the product. Some elements shown in the design of products reassembles patterns from products from which were produced by William Morris himself. A characteristic which was later more emphasized in other movement such as Modernism and Bauhaus was the development of a design which was aesthetically pleasing but relates to it's function.

Form relates to function

Art Nouveau apart from being a strong movement when it comes to fine arts, it inspired and left its mark in architectural design. It left an considerable amount of inspiration and impact in architecture especially in major cities in Europe such as Paris, Prague and Vienna. The design in architecture is the same as that of arts  with inspiration from natural elements which illustrates natural organic flow. Apart from architecture the Art Nouveau style was even introduced in urban improvements such as new design of street signs and street furniture. A later movement which was progressed after Art Nouveau was Art Deco especially in architecture. characteristics of Art Deco architecture were decorative pieces which dominates the top of the buildings such as the Empire State Building.

Art Nouveau in Architecture

Empire State Building

Reference

Art Nouveau from a historical perspective | Art Nouveau. 2013. Art Nouveau from a historical perspective | Art Nouveau. [ONLINE] Available at:http://aboutartnouveau.wordpress.com/2012/09/05/art-nouveau-in-history/. [Accessed 30 December 2013].

Art Nouveau | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2013. Art Nouveau | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/artn/hd_artn.htm. [Accessed 30 December 2013].

Art Nouveau Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. 2013. Art Nouveau Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-art-nouveau.htm. [Accessed 30 December 2013].

Art Nouveau & Art Deco as Design Inspiration | Design Work Life. 2013. Art Nouveau & Art Deco as Design Inspiration | Design Work Life. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.designworklife.com/2013/08/27/art-nouveau-art-deco-as-modern-design-inspiration/. [Accessed 30 December 2013].