“Art Nouveau is style of decoration and architecture which developed in the 1880s and 1890s. The name derives from the Maison de l’Art Nouveau, an interior design gallery opened in Paris in 1896, but in fact the movement had different names throughout Europe.
“In Germany it was known as ‘Jugendstil‘, from the magazine Die Jugend (Youth) published from 1896; in Italy ‘Stile Liberty’ (Liberty Style, after the London store Liberty & Co.) or ‘Stile Fioreale’; in Spain ‘Modernista’, and in Austria ‘Sezessionstil‘.
“In France it was variously called ‘Style Jules Verne’, ‘Le Style Métro‘ (after Hector Guimard’s iron and glass subway entrances), Art Belle Époque, and Art Fin de Siècle. Paradoxically, the English term ‘Modern Style’ was often used, emphasizing the English origins of the movement.” (The Artchive)
“Directly fostered by the Arts and Crafts movement, Art Nouveau flourished between the 1890s and 1910 in all of the arts. Art Nouveau may be characterized as a style derived from organic forms that convey a sense of movement, exemplified by the famous “whiplash” curve found in many Art Nouveau works.” (France Era Co.)
“In design Art Nouveau was characterized by writhing plant forms and an opposition to the historicism which had plagued the 19th century. There was a tension implicit throughout the movement between the decorative and the modern which can be seen in the work of individual designers as well as in the chronology of the whole. Its emphasis on decoration and artistic unity links the movement to contemporary Symbolist ideas in art, as seen in the work of the Vienna Secessionists, but the movement was also associated with Arts and Crafts ideas and, as such, Art Nouveau forms a bridge between (William) Morris and (Walter) Gropius.” (The Artchive)
… to be continued …
Art Nouveau Furniture References:
- Art Nouveau Furniture
by Alastair Duncan
- Masterpieces of Art Nouveau Furniture:The Majorelle Catalogue
by Majorelle Frères & Cie
Love the art nouveau style!