Today people worry about their jobs being overrun by new advancements in technology. In 1890, things were just the same. Workers worried for their jobs, wages were low, and people anxiously braced themselves for change. As the cogs of the industrial revolution whirred, the public channelled their fears into creation. People started centreing decorative art and architecture around the curves and asymmetry of nature. Meanwhile, artists found themselves rejecting the rigidity of academic and traditional aesthetics; striving to reform art to keep up with the rapid transformation of industry.
Thus, a new wave of art washed over Europe, combining the familiar flowing lines of the natural world with the innovative use of materials like iron and glass. In 1883, a Belgian journal described the revolutionary artwork of Les Vingt using the term ‘Art Nouveau.’ Later, art dealer Sigfried Bing named his gallery ‘Maison de l’Art Nouveau’, popularising the term and giving the movement its name.
One of the most recognisable examples of the style is Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss, infused with the gloriously metallic shine of gold and covered in purple flowers. Soon, the movement was ubiquitous, venturing away from fine art such as that of Klimt and into other areas. The gruesome, black-ink illustrations of Aubrey Beardsley, and the insect-inspired experimental glasswork of Émile Gallé in the Collection of Spring are just two key works. Commercial posters further shaped the essence of Art Nouveau, including the advertisements of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, famous for his At the Moulin Rouge. Victor Horta is known for expanding the movement into architecture with his Tassel House, which seamlessly fuses nature and industry using sage-painted, twisting ironwork.
By the 1920s, Art Nouveau was largely exhausted in favour of Art Deco and Modernism, which gave people the fresh start that they wanted after the First World War. Nevertheless, Art Nouveau revives every few decades. For instance, in reaction to events such as World War II, in conversation with postmodernism, and then in the digital age. I would personally attribute the lasting appeal of the movement to nostalgic reminiscence and the timeless beauty of the natural world.
So there you go, please enjoy knowing a bit more about Art Nouveau.
“Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss (1907–1908) famous painting. Original from Wikimedia Commons. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.” by Free Public Domain Illustrations by rawpixel is licensed under CC BY 2.0.