GDS 102 – GRAPHIC DESIGN HISTORYcondensed/French 100

Art Nouveau1890-1910

INTRODUCTION

Paris was the center of the Universe in the mid-19th century.

The French Academy (school of academic painting) gave way to Impressionism.

Impressionism evolved into Post-Impressionism.

Post-Impressionism grew to include the lower arts and Art Nouveau was born.

Art Nouveau was the first style of “commercial” art used consistently to enhance the beauty of industrial products.

It was also the first true international style, embraced by all of Europe as well as America, bringing a sense of aesthetic to everyday living.

INFLUENCES

Édouard Manet

Although recognized as an Impressionist painter, the Luncheon on the Grass, is an early work related to the French Academy.

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Édouard Manet

Impressionist painting. Note the much looser brush strokes.

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Vincent van Gogh

Post-Impressionist painting.

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Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Post-Impressionist painting.

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Japanese's culture, especially woodcuts prints, were very influential in Europe, especially Paris.

Note the use of pattern and flat colour.

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He also worked as a commercial (graphic) artist also adopting many of the design elements of the Japanese woodcuts.

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Alphonse Mucha show poster for actress Leslie Carter.

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Detail.

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The “swirly tendril” was here to stay.

The origin of the name Art Nouveau comes from an interior gallery, in Paris, called the Maison de l’Art Nouveau that opened in 1895 and was an outlet for decorative creations by Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Art Nouveau style influenced architects such as Victor Horta, who strived for harmony between form, material and color.

Today, Horta's house and studio in Brussels is a museum

Horta enjoyed bringing daylight into his house.

Victor Horta dining room.

In this hotel landing, the dominant Art Nouveau visual motifs are clearly visible: energetic and organic plant-like line and vine tendrils.

The look of Art Nouveau was inspired by Asian art which arrived in Europe as the result of increased trade between Europe and Asia.

Art Nouveau designers embraced the Arts & Crafts philosophy of honesty to materials and fitness for purpose. The decorative use of these motifs was less an attempt to cover up than a way to enhance the function of the material.

This chair's back uses Art Nouveau's organic plant-like motifs.

This close-up reveals the fine craftsmanship that went into the creation of the details.

Obvious plant-like decorative motifs make this vase distinctively Art Nouveau.

Jacques Sicard was a French potter who experimented with glazes while studying in Ohio. He considered himself a decorator of the shape.

A more delicate and elegant variation on the plant-like lines.

This decorative center piece was made of blown glass mounted in silver and wood.

Art Nouveau forms and lines were often invented rather than copied from nature or the past. This abstraction of natural forms pointed towards modernism.

Evelyn Rumsey Cary

Visual images such as this 1905 poster played a crucial role in the decades-long struggle for woman suffrage. This movement culminated in 1920, when the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified and American women won the right to vote.

The image is an example of the Art Nouveau style, which flourished between 1890 and 1910. The poster displays some of the defining characteristics of the Art Nouveau style, including graceful, curving lines and abundant nature imagery.

The creator of this iconic image — which appeared not only as a poster but also on magazine covers and in pamphlets — was Evelyn Rumsey Cary (1855-1924), a painter from Buffalo, New York.

The poster features an idealized woman, dressed in a flowing white gown, whose body is transforming into a tree. Her legs merge into the roots of the tree, while her arms become an extension of the tree's fruit-laden branches.

This depiction of women as an indispensable part of nature is supported by the quotation at the bottom of the image. Drawn from Proverbs 31:31 of the Old Testament, the quotation refers to "the fruit of [women's] hands" and implicitly urges viewers to recognize the essential role that women play as productive members of society.

The placement of the woman in front of a building that resembles the White House reinforces the argument that women deserve to be full members of society who have a voice in elections.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow/tg/womansuffrageposter.html