Art Nouveau was an artistic philosophy which rose to prominence in the early 1900’s as a decorative style which would emphasize the importance of a well-crafted harmony of art and aesthetics in all objects. It also emphasized the importance of decoration and design as an art present in many aspects of each individual’s daily life. The term itself translates to “New Art” in English and arose from critics in Belgium. Some of the other names by which the Art Nouveau movement was known as in other countries are: Jugendstil (Germany), Style Guimard (France), and Stile Liberty (Italy).
Tentatively, the Art Nouveau movement took place between 1984 and 1914, though under-currents of similar thought continued both prior to and after these dates. Most importantly, the Art Nouveau philosophy attempted to erase the distinction between fine arts and other production arts such as architecture or jewelry-making. By adding the same attention to composition and design to all aspects of production, supporters of the movement believed that a greater quality and beauty of life could be achieved.
Some of the design elements that are often inherent to objects which are considered to belong to the Art Nouveau movement include very stylized and curved designs, the incorporation of flowing floral and plant-inspired detailing and other organic shapes.
One of the most interesting aspects of the Art Nouveau movement is that artists who had previously been viewed as merely working-class craftsmen gained respect and prestige for their creations. Artists of the Art Nouveau period include groups as diverse as architects, furniture-makers, glassblowers, jewelers, metallurgists, cast iron workers, and painters, among others. Of the traditional fine artists, Gustav Klimt is one of the most well-known who can be classified as an Art Nouveau artist. In this way, the Art Nouveau movement was clearly a reaction against the movement of Industrialization which reduced many crafts and arts to mechanical occupations in factories. Another interesting aspect of the Art Nouveau movement is that not only did it unite a larger group of people into being classified as artists, the trend also crossed the lines of national boundaries to form a cohesive, international trend in art with many branches that had large, commonly held beliefs about the purposes and need of art.
Many individuals often confuse Art Nouveau with another international trend in art with a similar title which is known as Art Deco. Art Deco was a trend that occurred shortly after the end of what is considered the Art Nouveau period. The primary difference between the two largely different trends is that while the Art Nouveau style makes use of organic and curvilinear shapes, objects created in the Art Deco style adhere to straight lines and crisp forty-five degree angles while making use of more vivid and vibrant colors than are typically used in the creation of objects that are considered to be classified as Art Nouveau.
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