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What is Art Nouveau ?
Art Nouveau started in the 1880s and had its climax in years 1892–1902. The
name 'Art Nouveau' derived from the name of a shop in Paris, Maison de l'Art
Nouveau, run by Samuel Bing, who showcased some objects that followed
this approach to design.
A high point in the evolution of Art Nouveau was the Universal Exposition
of 1900 in Paris, in which the 'Modern Style' triumphed in every medium.
In the following decade, the new style was so rapidly commercialized
in trivial mass-production that Art Nouveau was looked down upon after
about 1907, and the term was ascribed a pejorative meaning.
One of the most important characteristics of the style is a dynamic,
undulating and flowing, curved 'whiplash' line of syncopated rhythm.
Hyperbolas and parabolas were used in art. Conventional moldings
seem to spring to life and 'grow' into plant-derived forms.
As an art movement it has certain affinities with the Pre-Raphaelites
and the Symbolist painters, and certain figures like Aubrey Beardsley,
Alphonse Mucha, Edward Burne-Jones, Gustav Klimt, and Jan Toorop
could be classed in more than one of these styles. Unlike Symbolist
painting, however, Art Nouveau had a distinctive visual look of its own; and
unlike the backwards-looking Pre-Raphaelites, Art Nouveau was
not shy about the use of new materials, machined surfaces, and
abstraction in the service of pure design.
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