Today in class we discussed an amazing movement of Art Nouveau. I think it is one of the most amazing periods of history for graphic design and art in general. On one hand it is a continuation of John Ruskin's and William Morris' testimony based on the movement of arts and crafts. On the other hand it is a style that introduced new, fascinating solutions and brought together typography and art. There are several important names without whom Art Nouveau could not progress and in this note I want to highlight the greatest achievements and changes that these particular people initiated.
The essence of Art Nouveau is hidden in its sensuality, femininity, organic ornamentation, geometric lines and shapes. It started in Brussels in the last years of XIX century as an opposition to the academic schools and Classical inspirations (many scholars point out to England in 1860s as the beginning). Although nowadays it is mostly associated with graphics of such artists as Alphonse Mucha, the movement was yet an another attempt after Morris' arts and crafts to unite art and life in general and create a modern style. Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh or Toulouse-Lautrec were highly influenced by Art Nouveau and its inspirations found in Japanese prints. In literature there were Baudelairel, D'Annunzio, Proust, Maeterlinck, Ibsen. In music Debussy, Sibelius, Strauss. 'New Art' or 'Jugendstil' was the first modern movement that has changed the tendencies in arts on all fields.
Jules Cheret is named the father of modern poster. Although he started as a painter inspired with Victorian art, he became a leading persona in advertising. He introduced an idea of an ideal woman, shocking at his time, and replicated on all of his posters. Since he worked on the three stone process on lithography, the colors were more vibrant and truly reflected Parisian night life in cafes and theaters, such as famous Moulin Rouge. Within time his designs were so popular that as soon as the posters were hung on the walls people stole them and keep in private collections. In 1884 Cheret decided on opening the first poster exhibition in Paris. Among the participants there were such artists as Toulouse-Lautrec, Bonnard, Mucha, Steinlen, Grasset, Penfield, Parrish and Bradley.
Eugene Grasset, considered a pioneer of Art Nouveau also lived and worked in Paris, the bohemian capital at the time. His unique style was based on a heavy block lines. He did not only focus on print, but created designs for tapestry, wallpaper, jewelry, fabrics and furniture. Later in his life he was commissioned by Harper's Magazine to make a series of advertising. This was the movement was introduced on a New Continent and later developed by William Bradley and Ethel Reed, referred to as the first American female figure in the field of graphic design.
Arthur Mackmurdo further developed the block printing effect in his works. Inspired with an encounter with John Ruskin with whom he travelled to Italy in 1874 he and Selwyn Image set up the Century Guild of Artists. It was a successful partnership that involved not only the production of interiors, furniture and buildings but was involved in 'Hobby Horse Magazine' first released in 1882. It treated of art, design and ideas and was open to broader audience.
Aubrey Breardsley was another influential artist who set up a popular at the time magazine, entitled 'The Studio'. In his work he used inspirations found in Japanese woodcuts. His erotic images, shocking for his contemporaries. were based on mythology and history (e.g. 'Salome' advertising the play by Oscar Wilde).
Among all artists Alphonse Mucha is an unquestionable father of Art Nouveau. He found fame working in a little print shop in Paris when one night he was surprised with a visit of Sarah Bernardt. She was the most famous French actress, working on the stage of Théâtre de la Renaissance on the Boulevard Saint-Martin. Within two weeks Mucha was commissioned to produce posters for her play Gismonda. Overnight he became the most sensational artist in bohemian Paris and from a simple art student from Czechs he turned into a leading persona in the emerging movement of Art Nouveau. He brought his noncommercial style to the advertising. Th characteristics of his designs are in the curly hair, feminine figures, sensual poses on the decorative background using gradient pastel colors and golden ornamentation.
At the time of Belle Epoque in England, Art Nouveau in France, German artists were under the influence of Jugendstil, the style of the youth. Young artists studying at the universities incorporated the spirit of Art Nouveau into their own designs focusing on the geometric forms, curve and lineal elements, rectal structure of the works, floral and organic ornamentation. There was a strong tendency towards symbolism, allegoric imagery and stylized forms. On the other side of the continent in Britain four students of the Glasgow School created an influential movement, later called Glasgow Style. The Four, also known as the Spooky School Margaret and Frances MacDonald, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Herbert MacNair were inspired with Japanes prints, Celtic Revival very popular at the time another art movement and the works of other Art Nouveau artists such as Mucha (elongated forms, sensual images).
I think that Art Nouveau brought some of the greatest inspirations to the arts. There is a union of 'higher arts' with such forms as posters, postal cards, furniture, interior design. On one hand designers who produced commercial works for advertising used illustration imagery and on the other hand artists such as Gauguin incorporated design and typography in their works (e.g. Gauguin was signing his works by incorporating the signature to the paintings). Young students who were lectured on the Neoclassical style, were looking for a modern forms of expression. They intended to not only limit themselves to art but expand the impact of the new thinking thought the distribution of magazines, papers, manifestos, exhibitions. It shows a real dedication and belief in the arts. Groups such as the Four proved to the contemporary people that artists have a chance and should break the boundaries and seek above the Neoclassical and academic examples. Personally among all Art Nouveau artists I have always admired Alphonse Mucha. His noncommercial approach to the design, used for the public purposes (such as posters hung on the streets), and constancy of the style are great inspirations. When I got a chance to visit his museum on the central plaza in Prague, Czech Republic, I was truly amazed. Thanks to Mucha people of the era had a unique opportunity to live daily life among one of the greatest artworks pasted on the streets.
PS: First time I could correct American pronunciation thanks to my origin. Czech and Polish language are so similar and it's MUCHA, with H like in Heaven, and funnily enough it means a fly.
PPS: A beautiful movie about Mucha:
Eugene Grasset | The Four, Margareth McDonald | Jules Cheret | Alphonse Mucha
The essence of Art Nouveau is hidden in its sensuality, femininity, organic ornamentation, geometric lines and shapes. It started in Brussels in the last years of XIX century as an opposition to the academic schools and Classical inspirations (many scholars point out to England in 1860s as the beginning). Although nowadays it is mostly associated with graphics of such artists as Alphonse Mucha, the movement was yet an another attempt after Morris' arts and crafts to unite art and life in general and create a modern style. Monet, Gauguin, Van Gogh or Toulouse-Lautrec were highly influenced by Art Nouveau and its inspirations found in Japanese prints. In literature there were Baudelairel, D'Annunzio, Proust, Maeterlinck, Ibsen. In music Debussy, Sibelius, Strauss. 'New Art' or 'Jugendstil' was the first modern movement that has changed the tendencies in arts on all fields.
Jules Cheret is named the father of modern poster. Although he started as a painter inspired with Victorian art, he became a leading persona in advertising. He introduced an idea of an ideal woman, shocking at his time, and replicated on all of his posters. Since he worked on the three stone process on lithography, the colors were more vibrant and truly reflected Parisian night life in cafes and theaters, such as famous Moulin Rouge. Within time his designs were so popular that as soon as the posters were hung on the walls people stole them and keep in private collections. In 1884 Cheret decided on opening the first poster exhibition in Paris. Among the participants there were such artists as Toulouse-Lautrec, Bonnard, Mucha, Steinlen, Grasset, Penfield, Parrish and Bradley.
Eugene Grasset, considered a pioneer of Art Nouveau also lived and worked in Paris, the bohemian capital at the time. His unique style was based on a heavy block lines. He did not only focus on print, but created designs for tapestry, wallpaper, jewelry, fabrics and furniture. Later in his life he was commissioned by Harper's Magazine to make a series of advertising. This was the movement was introduced on a New Continent and later developed by William Bradley and Ethel Reed, referred to as the first American female figure in the field of graphic design.
Arthur Mackmurdo further developed the block printing effect in his works. Inspired with an encounter with John Ruskin with whom he travelled to Italy in 1874 he and Selwyn Image set up the Century Guild of Artists. It was a successful partnership that involved not only the production of interiors, furniture and buildings but was involved in 'Hobby Horse Magazine' first released in 1882. It treated of art, design and ideas and was open to broader audience.
Aubrey Breardsley was another influential artist who set up a popular at the time magazine, entitled 'The Studio'. In his work he used inspirations found in Japanese woodcuts. His erotic images, shocking for his contemporaries. were based on mythology and history (e.g. 'Salome' advertising the play by Oscar Wilde).
Among all artists Alphonse Mucha is an unquestionable father of Art Nouveau. He found fame working in a little print shop in Paris when one night he was surprised with a visit of Sarah Bernardt. She was the most famous French actress, working on the stage of Théâtre de la Renaissance on the Boulevard Saint-Martin. Within two weeks Mucha was commissioned to produce posters for her play Gismonda. Overnight he became the most sensational artist in bohemian Paris and from a simple art student from Czechs he turned into a leading persona in the emerging movement of Art Nouveau. He brought his noncommercial style to the advertising. Th characteristics of his designs are in the curly hair, feminine figures, sensual poses on the decorative background using gradient pastel colors and golden ornamentation.
At the time of Belle Epoque in England, Art Nouveau in France, German artists were under the influence of Jugendstil, the style of the youth. Young artists studying at the universities incorporated the spirit of Art Nouveau into their own designs focusing on the geometric forms, curve and lineal elements, rectal structure of the works, floral and organic ornamentation. There was a strong tendency towards symbolism, allegoric imagery and stylized forms. On the other side of the continent in Britain four students of the Glasgow School created an influential movement, later called Glasgow Style. The Four, also known as the Spooky School Margaret and Frances MacDonald, Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Herbert MacNair were inspired with Japanes prints, Celtic Revival very popular at the time another art movement and the works of other Art Nouveau artists such as Mucha (elongated forms, sensual images).
I think that Art Nouveau brought some of the greatest inspirations to the arts. There is a union of 'higher arts' with such forms as posters, postal cards, furniture, interior design. On one hand designers who produced commercial works for advertising used illustration imagery and on the other hand artists such as Gauguin incorporated design and typography in their works (e.g. Gauguin was signing his works by incorporating the signature to the paintings). Young students who were lectured on the Neoclassical style, were looking for a modern forms of expression. They intended to not only limit themselves to art but expand the impact of the new thinking thought the distribution of magazines, papers, manifestos, exhibitions. It shows a real dedication and belief in the arts. Groups such as the Four proved to the contemporary people that artists have a chance and should break the boundaries and seek above the Neoclassical and academic examples. Personally among all Art Nouveau artists I have always admired Alphonse Mucha. His noncommercial approach to the design, used for the public purposes (such as posters hung on the streets), and constancy of the style are great inspirations. When I got a chance to visit his museum on the central plaza in Prague, Czech Republic, I was truly amazed. Thanks to Mucha people of the era had a unique opportunity to live daily life among one of the greatest artworks pasted on the streets.
PS: First time I could correct American pronunciation thanks to my origin. Czech and Polish language are so similar and it's MUCHA, with H like in Heaven, and funnily enough it means a fly.
PPS: A beautiful movie about Mucha:
Eugene Grasset | The Four, Margareth McDonald | Jules Cheret | Alphonse Mucha
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