Art Nouveau

This is a style which is ahistorical and that began to take shape in the 1880’s. Art nouveau was a period with many new introductions to design, designers such as Charles Rennie mackintosh and Josef Maria Olbrich began to use abstract naturalistic forms which consisted of curved lines. Herman Obrist and August Endell were introducing the use of the whiplash motifs. 

Josef Maria Olbrich - Darmstadt Germany - Inspiration for fashion Design

One of the earliest examples of architecture in this style came from a very talented and well respected member of the group, Belgian architect Victor horta. Hotel Tassel was a residential project which was innovative in its own respect as the building comprised of steel stem like columns which served both as decorative and supporting features, this is when the term ‘’horta line’’ was born. Another icon of this style were the structures placed at the entrances of the Paris Metro which were made of cast iron and designed by Hector Guimard, these iron strutted consisted of similar intertwining curved lines which were elaborate yet not overly decorative. Over in Germany the style coined the term Jugendstil. In spain the term for the style was ‘Modernisme’ and had gained popularity through the infamous Antoni Gaudi.

Hector Guimard - Paris Metro

Victor Horta - Hotel Tassel

In America the style was to be lead by Louis Comfort Tiffany, he was amongst the first american designers to be inspired by the style. In 1889 Tiffany attended the international exhibition in Paris where he witness first hand the revolutionary glass techniques being introduced by french designers which included Emile Galle and Ernest Baptiste Leveille. Tiffany then started to produce his own works and thanks to his strong connections in Europe he won prizes internationally. His lamps feature leads glass shades over which hung over gilt bronze stands that were adapted for electricity. This particular lamp also shows off the organic dragonfly form which is obviously taken from the European Art nouveau style.

Dragonfly Lamp - Tiffany & Co 

Archibald Knox a member of the british arts and crafts movement who sought to create a more refined variation of the style which at the time was known as Art Nouveau in Europe. When attending college he began to work for the Liberty & Co store in London which was famous for its promotion of the Art Nouveau style and also gave birth to the name Stile Liberty in Italy. A good example of Knox’s work is the Silver buckle which was produced for Liberty & Co, the buckle has features reminiscent of celtic art but also the whiplash curves and the organic forms seen in Art Nouveau.

Archibald Knox - Silver Buckle 

Art Nouveau Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. 2015. Art Nouveau Movement, Artists and Major Works | The Art Story. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-art-nouveau.htm. [Accessed 22 January 2015].

Beyer, Hilary , 2002. Classics of Design. 1st ed. London: BOOKMART LIMITED.