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Towards the end of the 19th Century, Art Nouveau emerged as a new a decorative style of art, beginning in France and spreading throughout Europe. This style one that began to shape and change the way many viewed and thought about the more traditional arts. Instead, Art Nouveau was most commonly seen within the design world, ranging from architecture, interior design, jewellery and glass design, posters, and illustration. Traditionally, Art Nouveau is associated with natural and delicate forms, however with the movement taking the art world by storm, dominating the end of the 19th Century, many countries and artists created their own unique styles under the broader Art Nouveau movement.  Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939) Glasgow - Scotland Charles Rennie Mackintosh's drawing for Windy Hill, at Kilmacolm. Led by artists known as the 'Glasgow Four', made up of; Charles Rennie Mackintosh, his wife, Margaret McDonalds, her sister Frances McDonalds and her husband Herbert McNair, Glasgow's interpretation of Art Nouveau focused more on geometrical shapes. This was as opposed to the more well known natural style of Art Nouveau, holding back on the more curvaceous shapes and ornamentation and curving vertical lines. With that said, these artists too explored a range of ways in which Art Nouveau could be used, such as in painting, architecture, interiors, furniture and book illustrations. However, in terms of architecture, as Charles Rennie Mackintosh was well known for, the structures remained geometric, with the smaller details that sat upon the buildings such as gates, windows and doorframes being more decorative, embracing the more intricate details of Art Nouveau. Queen's Cross Church, Glasgow - Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Vienna - Austria The Looshaus - Adolf Loos Similarly to Glasgow, Art Nouveau was interpreted by Austrian artists in their own way. However, unlike Glasgow, Art Nouveau from Vienna could be described as being lavish, and more ornamental, with leading artists being Otto Wagner and Adolf Loos, well known for their architectural contributions. Much like in other areas of the world, the appearance of Art Nouveau brought about protest to the support of more traditional artistic styles. Although this style of Art Nouveau shared traits with the style from Glasgow, it was noticeably more decorated, with more vibrant colours and patterns. As for these patterns, the majority appeared to be an addition to the geometrical shapes of the base of the buildings, serving as an addition to the structures as opposed to being subtly integrated like that of Glasgow's architectural pieces from this time period. Majolica Haus - Otto Wagner Madrid, Spain Palacio de Longoria, Jose Grases Riera As Art Nouveau spread throughout different countries, it was inevitable that style changes would also occur in the cities of varying countries, each with their own unique take on the Art Nouveau style. One such example of this was in Spain, which saw Antioni Guadi adopt part of the movement in his own style in Barcelona and artists such as Jose Grases Riera adopt the style in his work in Madrid. Riera's work was noticeably more natural than that of both the previous Scottish and Austrian artists' work in both sense of colour and shape, particularly on the outside of the building. The Palacio de Longoria, built in 1904 by Riera is one of his more notable pieces of work, and to this day is seen as Madrid's most notable pieces of modern architect. Palacio de Longoria, Jose Grases Riera Nancy, France Villa Majorelle, Henri Sauvage Nancy is widely considered to be at the centre of the Art Nouveau movement, and instead focused on a more decorative style, using inspiration from the natural world and interpretation it to create something new and unusual for the time period. Being the centre of the movement, many of these decorative style of buildings and pieces of art still stand today. In Nancy, this style was too used in many different areas of the arts, with Émile Gallé using it to create delicate and intricate glass pieces, to Henri Sauvage's architectural work. Whether it was in smalller pieces or the larger buildings topped off with decorative works, many took inspiration from natural and natural forms, a sharp contrast to the geometrical shapes found in Glasgow and artists such as
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AuthorAmy Farrell. Archives
December 2020
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