Art Nouveau

About Art Nouveau 

Art Nouveau happened around 1880’s originated in England, mostly inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement. Other influences of this movement were Rococo, Celtic art, Japanese art, Egyptian Art, Gothic Revival and also nature. Whiplash curves, decoration, few or no straight lines, etc. are some of the main characteristics of the Art Nouveau. Art Nouveau is the original name, but the name was changed within different countries in Europe and also in America, for example in Germany it was called as ‘Jugenstil’ which means young style, in Austria it was called as ‘Sezessionstil’, in Italy it was called as ‘Stile Liberty’, in Spain it was called as ‘Modernista’ while in America it was known as the ‘Tiffany Style’. Other countries specific designers were known for the Art Nouveau Movement such as in Belgium, Victor Horta was known at this time. All different countries were anticipating the same Art Nouveau style but still have different influences, maybe from their country’s culture… Around this time everything was designed with style from small furniture products to interiors and exteriors of villas, etc. 

Tassel House 

Tassel House Facade 

A good example of an Art Nouveau interior is the Tassel House by the famous Belgian architect and designer, Victor Horta. It was built in 1893 during the era of Art Nouveau. It is made up of most important design principles in Art Nouveau.

Tassel House Interior

Tassel House Interior

Tassel House Interior

The façade of the Tassel house will immediately be noticed that it has an interesting decorative element, which is a good example of the Art Nouveau movement. Although the decorative element on the interior of the house, is way more exposed rather than the exterior. A particular element which is mostly visible on the interior and the façade is the whiplashed curves. This can be seen on different materials and things such as the wallpapers, ironwork, floorings, etc. One will notice that the iron work is the most used element & material in this house as it is shown throughout the interior of this house. 

Influences/Inspirations of Art Nouveau Today

While searching through the web about Art Nouveau, I found that some interior designers are still getting inspired from Art Nouveau. Some might be designing in a modern way but still include a small touch of Art Nouveau element. Most designers use the whiplash curves as a main inspiration of the Art Nouveau which was one of the main design elements of the style. So, I included some images of the modern interiors which are clearly showing the inspiration of the style. An interesting thing might be the fact that they still use the same particular materials that were used during that era. In my opinion this gives the modern interiors a wealthy and stylish look.

Emile Galle

Emile Galle was a French glass designer born in 1846, in France. He followed his father’s steps after continuing working on glass making. He was associated with Ecole De Nancy, an important working place where he used to work for. This company was particularly producing glass and also furniture, mostly related with the Art Nouveau movement. Emile Galle had become popular and successful for his glassware during the Paris exhibition in the 1878. His glass experiments were called as “marqueterie de verre de verre” which means “marquetry of glass”.  Characteristics of his glassware are floral and natural forms, such as flowers, vines, insects (particularly dragonfly) and fruits. These characteristics can all be found in the Art Nouveau. Within the company Ecole de Nancy the role of craftsmanship was important and employed around 300 people. 

Crocus Vase - Emile Galle

References:

Ireland J., 2009. History of Interior Deisgn. America: Fairchild Publications.

Hauffe, T., 1998, Design A Concise History. London: Laurence King Publishing.

Fiell C. and Fiell P., 2015. Design of the 20th Century. Köln: Taschen.

Victoria and Albert Museum, n.d. Art Nouveau. [online] Available at: http://www.vam.ac.uk/page/a/art-nouveau/ [Accessed 11 May 2016].

The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 2016. Emile Galle. [Online]. Available at: http://www.britannica.com/biography/Emile-Galle [Accessed 11 May 2016]