Art Nouveau was an innovative international style of modern art that became fashionable from about 1890 to the First World War. This aesthetic was considered to be quite revolutionary and new, hence its name – New Art – or Art Nouveau. Hence, also the fact that it was applied to a host of different forms including architecture, fine art, applied art, and decorative art.
It is a French term meaning “new art” and is characterized by organic and plant motifs as well as other highly stylized forms. The organic forms often took the form of sudden violent curves which were often referenced by the term whiplash.
Common features- Ornamental characteristics such as undulating asymmetrical lines, often taking the form of flower stalks and buds, vine tendrils, insect wings, and other delicate and sinuous natural objects.
Colour schemes are quite muted and somber and became known as ‘greenery gallery’ – mustard, sage green, olive green, and brown.
Famous artists who defined Art Nouveau-
- Aubrey Beardsley
- Gustav Klimt
- Alphonse Mucha
- Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
- Egon Schiele
- Antoni Gaudí I Cornet
- Victor Horta
- Louis Comfort Tiffany
- Émile Galle
- Louis Majorelle
The Art Nouveau movement produced many gifted artists specializing in decorative art, architecture, and glasswork, including slag glass. Today, much of their work is sought after by collectors and Art Nouveau followers alike.
Author:
Garima Agrawal, M. Des. Sem. 4, Textile & Knit Design, School of Fashion Design, Unitedworld Institute of Design (UID)
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