oriental and art nouveau

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he History of Oriental ArtBy Dennis HartmaneHow Contributor

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Oriental art is one of the maor bran!hes of art !lassi"!ation, along with

Euro#ean art, art of the $meri!as, $fri!an art and %iddle Eastern art. The

de&elo#ment or distin!t artisti! styles in 'a#an, China and other eastern

$sian nations has in(uen!ed art around the world for thousands of years,and re&eals a great deal about the !ultures that #rodu!ed it.

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• )a!ts $bout $sian $rt

• The History of Oriental )loral Design

Japan• Some of the "rst signi"!ant art to emerge from 'a#an dates to the

se&enth !entury. 'a#anese artists !ame to know the styles of Chinese and*orean art as the !ultures shared their Buddhist beliefs, and 'a#anese artfrom this era is a fusion of *orean and Chinese. Bron+e s!ul#ture dominates

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'a#anese art from the $suka and ara #eriods -roughly the years / to01/2. Buddhism !ontinued to dominate 'a#anese artisti! sube!t matter until331/, when wides#read war within 'a#an !hanged the national mood fromone of religious intros#e!tion to one of !on(i!t and sur&i&al, and Samurai!ulture was born. 4n !reating war5themed art, 'a#anese artists ado#ted a new

realism in their work. Calligra#hy also emerged as an art form during thistime. By the %uroma!hi era -3661 to 3062, 'a#anese art looked ba!k to itsroots in s#irituality. 'a#anese #ainting and #rintmaking (ourished during this#eriod, with sube!ts ranging from the natural world to an!ient mythology.

China• 7ong before 'a#an was "rst settles, early !ultures #rodu!ed #rimiti&e

art in China. Sin!e then, Chinese art has been e8tremely di&erse, !olored bythe shifting dynasties and the in(uen!e of foreign !ultures. By the se!ond!entury B.C., China already had a distin!t artisti! style in #oetry, s!ul#ture

and musi!. One of the most well5known #ie!es of Chinese art today is the Terra!otta $rmy. Dating from 93/ B.C., it !onsists of 0,/// life5si+ed "gures inthe tomb of the "rst :in em#eror. The Terra!otta $rmy #oints to the Chinese#reo!!u#ation with military sube!ts, the human "gure and asso!iating artwith burial rituals.Buddhism in(uen!ed Chinese art in the "rst !entury. Through the !y!les ofdynasti! rule, whi!h lasted until the early twentieth !entury, Chinese !ultureremained in a state of fre;uent !hange, and a di&erse national body of artwas #rodu!ed as a result.

Korea

• *orean art, like Chinese art, dates from the early days of human!i&ili+ation. Due to its geogra#hi!al lo!ation, *orea has often ser&ed as a#oint of transit between China and 'a#an, and its art shows the in(uen!es ofboth !ultures. )rom the "rst !entury B.C. to the se&enth !entury $.D., someof the most notable *orean art was #rodu!ed in the Baeke kingdom. $rt fromthis region of southwestern *orea !onsists #rimarily of ar!hite!ture ands!ul#ture. Harmonious #ro#ortions, naturalism of form and the #resen!e ofBuddhist sube!t matter suggest the in(uen!e of nearby China as well as 'a#anese traditions. Beginning in the "rst !entury B.C., *orean #aintingbe!ame an established art form. Beginning with the de!orated walls oftombs, *orean #ainting has been shar#ly di&ided between deli!ate, realisti!

!om#ositions intended to be &iewed as works of "ne art and !olorful, styli+edfolk art images that !ommemorate !elebrations.

Tibet• Tibetan art is de"ned by its in!lusion of Buddhist sube!t matter and

#rin!i#les, e&en more so than the art of other Oriental !ultures. Elements of


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Buddhist in(uen!e !an be found in Tibetan art dating from as far ba!k ad arious Buddhist deities arealso fre;uently re#resented both in s!ul#ture and #ainting. Oftentimes theseimages are also intended to aid in meditation. Tibetan art is full of symboli!

images, su!h as the Dharma!akra, whi!h is a wheel with eight s#okes, ea!hre#resenting one of the eight #aths to enlightenment. $mong Tibetan art?smost well5known forms is the sand mandala. These geometri! images,#ainstakingly !onstru!ted by Buddhist monks as a means of !on!entratingtheir energies, are ritualisti!ally destroyed as a means of re#resenting theim#ermanen!e of life.

Vietnam• >ietnamese art has been !hara!teri+ed by the &arious im#erialisti!

#resen!es in >ietnam, from the Chinese to the )ren!h. )rom the tenth

!entury to the "fteenth !entury, >ietnam was inde#endent and #rodu!ed artthat is distin!t from anything brought by outside !ultures. >ietnamese artfrom this #eriod res#onds to a blending of religious traditions with elementsof Taoist, Buddhist and Confu!ian #rin!i#les. Cerami!s ha&e "gured#rominently in >ietnamese art both during #eriods of Chinese rule and>ietnamese inde#enden!e. >ietnamese !erami! artists ha&e often em#loyeda limited !olor #alette as a way of em#hasi+ing form. 4nterest in !erami! and#or!elain art dominated >ietnamese art through the guyen dynasty in thenineteenth !entury.

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A Brief History of Orientaland Eastern ArtOriental art, along with European, Middle Eastern, and African art, andthe art of the Americas, is one of the major branches of artclassification. It includes painting, calligraphy and graphic art, as well

as sculpture and pottery, from the Neolithic to the present day.

The history of Oriental and Eastern art reflects the society in which itwas produced. eligion, politics, philosophy, culture and technologyha!e all left their mar". This article will loo" at the three mainconstituents of Eastern art# $hinese, %apanese and &orean.

Chinese Art


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$hinese art has e'isted for

thousands of years, and is famously di!erse in colour, form and style.It originated as early (stone art) from around *+,+++ $, andcomprised mainly of pottery and sculpture.

Its early beginnings were based on the religious and supernaturalbeliefs of $hinese settlers. Their paintings, -uite abstract in form,in!ol!ed the same techni-ues as $hinese calligraphy# a thin brushwas dipped in coloured in", and minimalist brush stro"es used torepresent both people and landscapes. Often, these paintings were

produced to decorate the inside of human burial sites. andscapes,usually regarded as the highest form of $hinese painting, rose toprominence during the years of the /i!e 0ynasties from 1+2 to **32

A0.

$hinese sculpture has e'isted since the beginning of the first dynastyin 3,*++ $. One of the best preser!ed and largest e'amples e!erreco!ered is the Terracotta Army. uilt for and buried with Emperor4in 5hi 6uang, the sculptors bro"e with pre!ious tradition and cast

human7li"e figures in magnificence and splendour. The armysurrounded the emperor)s tomb, watching o!er and protecting him inthe afterlife. /rom this point on, albeit on a smaller scale, miniaturepottery figures were created and placed in tombs to accompany thedead. The finest e'amples date bac" from the Tang 0ynasty of 8*9 to1+2 A0.


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$hinese pottery, howe!er, dates bac" to the :alaeolithic era. It pre7dates the dynasties and was made from all manner of materials. As itspopularity and ease of construction grew, pottery began to be made

on an industrial scale. ulers at the time would also re-uest pottery tome made for them, which they)d then present as gifts or use to trade.ate imperial $hina of *;89 to *1** A0, of which the Ming 0ynastycomprised the first 328 years, produced art of more colour and withbusier compositions. The ne't few hundred years of the 4ing 0ynastysaw the rise of Orthodo' school and Indi!idualist painters. The formercelebrated the older styles of thin brush stro"es and calligraphy, thelatter produced a more re!olutionary and indi!idualist approach. The5hanghai 5chool, of the late 4ing 0ynasty to the twentieth century,

encouraged artists to challenge pre7concei!ed conceptions, impro!eon e'isting techni-ues, and use their art to comment and -uestionsociety and the country)s rapid social change.

The $hinese $ommunist re!olution of *1


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%apanese art dates from around

*+,+++ $. 5imilar to $hinese art, it incorporates a wide !ariety ofstyles and types, such as in" painting, pottery and sculpture. As anisland, %apan e'perienced long periods of isolation.

ut, whene!er %apan met a foreign culture, it assimilated these foreignartistic aesthetics into its own e'isting culture and ideals.:ainting is one of %apan)s oldest art forms, and probably its mostpopular. i"e $hina, it began as simple stic" figures decorating sil",paper and pottery, and de!eloped into a way of e'pressing centuries

of cultural and political e!olution.%apan)s first ci!ilisation moulded and then painted pottery and clayfigures. 5ettlers who arri!ed later, around ;>+ $, brought with themtheir "nowledge of bron?e manufacturing and decoration. @hen, in the2th and 9th centuries, uddhism spread out across the East, %apanembraced it and learnt more ad!anced methods of casting bron?e.

These included many sculptures of uddha himself. ut, by the end of the Edo period between *8+; and *989 A0, most of this had

disappeared because of the waning support from uddhist templesand %apanese nobility.

After **;+ $, %apanese picture scrolls grew in popularity. Theselarge can!asses were used to paint stories, and are e'amples ofsome of the earliest and best illustrations of men and women.


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Other popular periods of %apanese art include the &ama"ura, in whichsculpture, calligraphy and painting all flourished from **9+ to *;;;

A0.

Art became more elitist and aristocratic during the Muromachi periodof *;;9 to *>2; A0. $olours became more conser!ati!e tooB blac"and white or the use of a single colour became commonplace. ut as%apan mo!ed further away from $hina, secular, independent artbegan to flourish. oth religious and secular art were hugely popularuntil after the Onin @ar from *


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the first time, a single &orean go!ernment and it led to a flourishingart scene. The Coryeo 0ynasty, from 1*9 to *;13 A0, is recognisedas one of the most important periods of &orean cultural de!elopment.

&orean art has, through the ages, been hea!ily influenced by $hineseart and !ice !ersa. This has helped to strengthen and widen theartistic styles and identity of both countries. And, in a similar situationto both $hina and %apan, uddhism held a great power o!er &oreanart. The =nified 5illa period from 828 to 1;> A0 is understood to ha!eproduced some of the best uddhist art in &orea.

The %oseon 0ynasty, established in *;13, led the way for a culturalrenaissance in &orea. uddhism was out, Neo7$onfucianism was in

and this meant the practicing of secular art and culture. 6owe!er, bythe *>th and *8th centuries, classical art was reintroduced and satalongside other artistic inno!ations in type and style.

Many painting styles within this period include landscapes depictingnostalgic places and mountainous scenes with trees and clouds. In"drawings and paintings were used in particular because they wereable to successfully highlight the contrast between light and dar".$eramics, stoneware and porcelain were also produced during this

period. The latter in particular was -uite rare and thus made a greatlu'ury item.

0uring the twentieth century, painting was the most popular art form.Of particular importance was abstract painting from the *1;+sonwards. In the *12+s and *19+s &orean monochrome paintings grewin popularity and helped to challenge pre7concei!ed idea about in"and oil painting.

The Modern East Asian Art Market

$hinese art, both old and new, is one of the biggest sellers on theinternational scene. /rom paintings to pottery and sculpture, it)sfetching higher and higher prices as collectors across the world try tobuy their own piece of $hinese history. The $hinese mar"et is alsogrowing, with more $hinese buyers than e!er before.


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This is ha!ing a "noc"7on effect throughout Asia, with more East Asianart being sold at auction and to pri!ate buyers. It reflects the rise of

Asia on the world scene, and the fact that the middle classes growing li"e ne!er before are "een to catch up on their @estern

cousins.


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eginnings

Art Nou!eau Dthe new artF was a widely influential but relati!ely short7li!ed

mo!ement that emerged in the final decade of the *1th century and was

already beginning to decline a decade later. This mo!ement 7 less a collecti!e

one than a disparate group of !isual artists, designers and architects spread

throughout Europe was aimed at creating styles of design more appropriate to

the modern age, and it was characteri?ed by organic, flowing lines7 forms

resembling the stems and blossoms of plants 7 as well as geometric forms

such as s-uares and rectangles.

The ad!ent of Art Nou!eau can be traced to two distinct influences# the first

was the introduction, around *99+, of the Arts and $rafts mo!ement, led by

the English designer @illiam Morris. This mo!ement, much li"e Art Nou!eau,

was a reaction against the cluttered designs and compositions of Gictorian7era

decorati!e art. The second was the current !ogue for %apanese art,

particularly wood7bloc" prints, that swept up many European artists in the

*99+s and 1+s, including the li"es of Custa! &limt, Emile Calle and %ames

Abbott McNeill @histler . %apanese wood7bloc" prints contained floral and

bulbous forms, and whiplash cur!es, all "ey elements of what would

e!entually become Art Nou!eau.

It is difficult to pinpoint the first wor"DsF of art that officially launched Art

Nou!eau. 5ome argue that the patterned, flowing lines and floral bac"grounds

found in the paintings of Gincent !an Cogh and :aul Cauguin represent Art

Nou!eauHs birth, or perhaps e!en the decorati!e lithographs of 6enri de

Toulouse7autrec, such as a Coule at the Moulin ougeD*91*F. ut most

point to the origins in the decorati!e arts, and in particular to a boo" jac"et by

English architect and designer Arthur 6eygate Mac"murdo for the *99;


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!olume @renHs $ity $hurches. The design depicts serpentine stal"s of flowers

coalescing into one large, whiplashed stal" at the bottom of the page, clearly

reminiscent of %apanese7style wood7bloc" prints.

$oncepts and 5tyles

Although Art Nou!eau has become the most commonly used name for the

mo!ement, its wide popularity throughout @estern and $entral Europe meant

that it went by se!eral different titles. The most well7"nown of these

was %ugendstil Douth 5tyleF, by which the styles was "nown in Cerman7

spea"ing countries. Meanwhile in Gienna 7 home to Custa! &limt, Otto@agner , %osef 6offmann and the other founders of the Gienna 5ecession 7 it

was "nown as5e?essionsstil D5ecession 5tyleF. It was also "nown

as Modernismo in 5pain and stile ibertyin Italy Dafter Arthur ibertyHs fabric

shop in ondon, which helped populari?e the styleF. It also went by some

more derogatory names# 5tyle Nouille Dnoodle styleF in /rance, :aling 5tijl Deel

styleF in elgium, and andwurmstil Dtapeworm styleF in Cermany, all of which

made playful reference to Art Nou!eauHs tendency to employ sinuous and

flowing lines.

Art Nou!eauHs ubi-uity in the late *1th century must be e'plained in part by

many artistsH use of popular and easily reproduced forms such as graphic art.

In Cermany, %ugendstil artists li"e :eter ehrens and 6ermann Obrist, among

many others, had their wor" printed on boo" co!ers and e'hibition catalogs,

maga?ine ad!ertisements and playbills. ut this trend was by no meanslimited to Cermany. The English illustrator Aubrey eardsley, perhaps the

most contro!ersial Art Nou!eau figure due to his combination of the erotic and

macabre, created a number of posters in his brief career that employed

graceful and rhythmic lines. eardsleyHs highly decorati!e prints, such as The


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:eacoc" 5"irt D*91


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ater 0e!elopments

0espite its popularity 7 both in terms of its geographical spread and its

influence on the creation of so many media 7 Art Nou!eau enjoyed !ery fewmoments during its heyday when all artistic elements came together to be

recogni?ed as a coherent whole. One e'ception was the *1++ @orldHs /air in

:aris DE'position =ni!erselleF, where the Art Nou!eau style was present in all

its forms. Of particular note was the construction and opening of the Crand

:alais in *1++, a building which, although in the eau' Arts tradition,

contained an interior glass dome that clearly adopted the Art Nou!eau

decorati!e style. Other e'hibitions too" place throughout the continent during

this time, but none could claim to be celebrating Art Nou!eau in such a

comprehensi!e manner as had the :aris E'po.

If Art Nou!eau -uic"ly stormed Europe in the late *1th century, artists,

designers and architects abandoned it just as -uic"ly in the first decade of the

3+th century. Although the mo!ement had made the doctrine that form should

follow function central to their ethos, some designers tended to be la!ish in

their use of decoration, and the style began to be critici?ed for being o!erly

elaborate. In a sense, as the style matured, it started to re!ert to the !ery

habits it had scorned, and a growing number of opponents began to charge

that rather than renewing design, it had merely swapped the old for the

superficially new.


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Art Nouveau Staircase !"#$%&'E(ile Tassel House) Brussels*+esi,n -y architect .ictor Horta)(e(-er of /es .in,t artist ,roup*+ES01N ST2/ES and MO.EMENTS3or details of late !#th%century andearly 45th century styles of art anddesi,n) see6 Modern Art Move(ents*3or details of conte(porary artdesi,n styles since the !#75s)

see6 Conte(porary Art Move(ents*3or Art Nouveau8s si,nificancefor ,raphic desi,n) see6History of 9oster Art*

IntroductionArt Nouveau was an innovative international style of modern art that became

fashionable from about 1890 to the First World War. Arising as a reaction to19th-century designs dominated by historicism in general and neoclassicism in

articular! it romulgated the idea of art and design as art of everyday life."enceforth artists should not overloo# any everyday ob$ect! no matter how

functional it might be. %his aesthetic was considered to be &uite revolutionaryand new! hence its name - New Art - or Art Nouveau. "ence also the fact that

was alied to a host of different forms including architecture! fine art!aliedart! and decorative art. 'ooted artly in the (ndustrial 'evolution! and the Artand )rafts *ovement! but also influenced by +aonism ,esecially#iyo-e

rints by artists li#e "o#usai and his younger contemorary "iroshige

and )eltic designs! Art Nouveau was given a ma$or boost by the 1900/osition niverselle in aris. After this! it sread across /uroe and as far a

the nited 2tates and Australia! under local namesli#e Jugendstil ,3ermany!Stile Liberty ,(taly! Sezessionstil ,Austria

and Tiffany style ,America. A highly decorative idiom! Art Nouveau tyicallyemloyed intricate curvilinear atterns of sinuous asymetrical lines! often base

on lant-forms ,sometimes derived from 4a %ene forms of )eltic art. Floral another lant-insired motifs are oular Art Nouveau designs! as are female

silhouettes and forms. /mloying a variety of materials! the style was used inarchitecture! interior design! glassware! $ewellery! oster art and illustration! a

well as ainting and sculture. %he movement was relaced in the 1950s by A6eco.

Salo(e !"#4' Art Nouveau dra:in,-y Au-rey Beardsley !"&4%#"'*E.O/;T0ON O3 A


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see6 History of Art Ti(eline*AO


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which is why 3erman Art Nouveau - along with that of the Netherlands! the:altic and the Nordic countries - has since been #nown as ;+ugendstil; ,youth-

style. (n Austria! Art Nouveau was first oulari>ed by artists of the Bienna2ecession movement! leading to the adotion of the name ;2e>essionstil;. (n

fact! the Bienna 2ecessionists! li#e Joseph "aria #lbrich ,18@-1908!influenced art and architecture throughout Austria-"ungary. (n 3ermany! whe

Art Nouveau was #nown as +ugendstil! many of its leading ractitioners cametogether again in 190 as members of the 6eutscher Wer#bund ,3erman WorFederation.

ther temorary names were used which reflected the novelty of the style! or

its ribbon-li#e curvilinear designs. For eamle! in France it was also #nown as;le style moderne; or ;le style nouille; ,noodle style in 2ain! ;arte $oven;

,young art in (taly ;arte nuova; and in the Netherlands ;Nieuwe #unst; ,bothnew art. %he style was also named after certain of its eonents or romoter

For instance! "ector 3uimard7s arisian *etro entrances led to the temoraryname ;2tyle *etro; in America the movement was called the ;%iffany style;

due to its connection with the Art Nouveau glassma#er and $eweller 4ouis)omfort %iffany.

$olution of Art Noueau

%he origins of Art Nouveau are unclear! although most art historians agree thaits roots lay in the /nglish Arts and )rafts *ovement! chamioned by themedievalist William *orris! as well as the flat-ersective and strong colours o

+aanese woodcuts. %his idiom was reinforced by the wave of +aonism thatswet through /uroe in the 1880s and 1890s! and by the decorative ainting

styles of 2ynthetism ,3auguin and )loisonnism ,:ernard! An&uetin develoeat the ont-Aven 2chool in :rittany. For more details! lease see ost

(mressionist ainting ,1880-9?.As a movement! Art Nouveau shared certain features with 'omanticism! ther

'ahaelites! the 2ymbolists! and the Arts and )rafts *ovement! although eachdiffered in various ways. For eamle! unli#e 2ymbolist ainting! Art Nouveau

has a distinctive visual loo# and! in contrast to the artisan-oriented Arts G

)rafts *ovement! Art Nouveau artists readily emloyed new materials! and didnot turn their bac#s on mass-roduced or machined surfaces.

)onnections were also forged between ractitioners of +ugendstil and )eltic-style artists! notably in the area of abstract atternwor#. )hristoher

6resser7snity in Bariety ,18?9 - a treatise on botany for artists! was alsoinfluential. :ut it is Arthur Heygate "ac%&urdo ,18?1-19=5 who is often

identified as the first designer in whom historical recedents were sufficiently

subdued for the new mode to show clearly. (ndeed! the earliest eamle of ArNouveau was the variety of rhythmic floral atterns used by *ac#murdo in his

boo#-cover for 2ir )hristoher Wren7s )ity )hurches ,188


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Nouveau and its encouragement of the fanciful! but he used a cooler treatmen%he essentials of his assage may be traced in one lace! the 3lasgow 2chool

Art. A system of reeated curving forms in the main building ,189-9 gave wto regimented verticals and hori>ontals in the library ,190-9 the new order

fell to a new orderliness. From then on! the need and the wish for economy ofmeans! a desire to eloit easy mechanical relication! became dominant. :ot

architecture and the alied arts contrived an ethic and an aesthetic based onmeaner notions of utility.Applications

Art Nouveau designs were most common in glassware! $ewellery! and other

decorative ob$ects li#e ceramics. :ut the style was also alied to tetiles!household silver! domestic utensils! cigarette cases! furniture and lighting! as

well as drawing! oster art! ainting and boo# illustration. %heatrical design ofsets and costumes was another area in which the new style flourished. %he be

eamles are the designs created by 4eon :a#st ,18@@-195= and Aleander:enois ,180-19@0 for 6iaghilev and the :allets 'usses. Art Nouveau also ha

a strong alication in the field of architecture and interior design. (n this areait eemlified a more humanistic and less functionalist aroach to the urban

environment. "yerbolas and arabolas in windows! arches! and doors were

tyical as were lant-derived forms for moldings. Art Nouveau interior designeudated some of the more abstract elements of 'ococo style! such as flame ashell tetures! and also emloyed highly styli>ed organic forms! eanding the

7natural7 reertoire to include seaweed! grasses! and insects. Art Nouveauarchitectural designs made broad use of eosed iron and large! irregular iec

of glass.Art Noueau Decoratie 'lass and Je(ellery

(n both these areas! Art Nouveau found tremendous eression! as eemlifiein wor#s by Louis Co&fort Tiffany in New Eor#! Charles )ennie

"ac%intoshin 3lasgow and $&ile 'alle and the Dau& brothers in Nancy!France. +ewellery of the Art Nouveau eriod saw new levels of virtuosity in

enameling as well as the introduction of new materials such as moulded glass

horn! and ivory. %he growth of interest in +aanese art ,a fashion #nown as+aonisme! along with increased resect for +aanese metalwor#ing s#ills! als

stimulated new themes and aroaches to ornamentation. As a result! $ewellestoed seeing themselves as mere craftsmen whose tas# was to rovide

settings for recious stones li#e diamonds! and began seeing themselves asartist-designers. A new tye of Art Nouveau $ewellery emerged that deended

less on its gemstone content and more on its designwor#. %he $ewellers of ar

and :russels were at the forefront of the Art Nouveau movement and it was inthese cities that it achieved the greatest success. (n America! 4ouis )omfort

%iffany ,18=8-95 was an adventurous creator of luury ob$ects! mainly inglass! often utilising the shot-sil# glow of metallic iridescence! and insired by

flower and feather. %iffany7s firm was enormously successful and his goods wemuch imitated.

Art Noueau ArchitectureArt Nouveau architecture was one of the great ubi&uitous cultural imulses!

aearing virtually throughout /uroe and 2candinavia! and in America too.A very vigorous strain develoed in !elgiu&! where Henri an de

*elde,18@

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roblems and for the fluency of his adatations of organic rincile. For the%assel house he oened u the centre into a sort of conservatory sace in whi

the eosed cast iron suorts are themselves stylised lants. And the *aisondu eule he constructed around a sinuous iron frame! every decorative

element of which arose from the containment of stresses. (t was said that 7hefollows the secret law obeyed by vegetation! which grows in immutable and

ever harmonious forms! but he comels himself never to draw a motif! nor todescribe a solitary curve which could be seen as a astiche of natural form7.(n +rance! Art Nouveau-style nineteenth century architecture had the 2tate7s

seal of aroval when 3uimard7s designs for the aris *etro stations were

acceted! and above the subways ,1898-1900 srouted elaboratearrangements of iron and glass resembling large bean shoots and seed-

ods.Hector 'ui&ard ,18@-19=5 had li#ed "orta7s wor# in :russels andhoed to etend its radical disrution of eected architectural behaviour. :ut

the most sectacular results of the decision to rethin# design from the groundu! so to sea#! are to be found in Spain. Antoni 'audi ,18?5-195@

conceived for :arcelona a series of architectural etravagan>as! aarentlyervaded by thoughts of nature in its less attractive manifestations - the rabb

warren or termite hill! retilean anatomy! weeds on the ramage. %he alacio

3uell,188?-9 has already the ebb and flow! the rhythmic asymmetry of hismature efforts! but is relatively urbane. %he )asa *ila ,190?-0 is a riotousassembly of itted stone and twisting iron! with a ground lan which altogethe

ignores the right-angle. And the )hurch of the 2agrada Familia ,188=!uncomleted bemuses the visitor! with its four towers li#e monster decaying

cucumbers it resembles! on the whole! a vegetable garden in the gri of somferocious virus and mutating freely. *eanwhile! in A&erica! the giant office

bloc#s of Louis Sullian ,18?@-195= - the Wainwright :uilding! 2t 4ouis,1890! the 3uaranty :uilding! :uffalo ,189=! the )arson! irie G 2cott 2tore

)hicago ,1899-190= - reveal in their facades! their honeycomb insides and thstris and anels which divide the cells a riot of lant-li#e ornament.

Art Nouveau architectural designs were widesread throughout many arts of

central and eastern /uroe! including 4atvia ,'iga! the )>ech 'eublic,rague! oland ,Dra#ow! 2lovenia ,4$ubl$ana! as well as (taly. 4eading Art

Nouveau architects and designers included the "ungarian architect #donLechner ,18=?H191=! the French architect Hector 'ui&ard ,18@-19=5! t

2anish architect Antoni 'audi ,18?5-195@! the :elgian architect *ictorHorta ,18@1-19=! and the Biennese designers #tto agner ,18=1-1918

andJoseph "aria #lbrich ,18@-1908! to name but a few. Further afield!

eamles of Art Nouveau-style buildings can be seen in 2outh America,raguay7s *ontevideo and Australia.

+a&ous Art Noueau Artists%he two greatest grahic artists of the Art Nouveau movement were the Frenc

lithograher Jules Cheret ,18


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Legacy / Influence of Art NoueauWhile Art Nouveau romoted a more widesread adotion of ;beautiful; desig

it did not diminish the value of the machine or mass-roduction ,as the Arts a)rafts *ovement did! but instead too# advantage of many technological

innovations from the late 19th century. /ven so! by World War (! it toosuccumbed to the more streamlined design rocesses that were beginning to

become available.ossibly its greatest influence was on ,1 50th-century advocates of integratedesign! such as the 3erman :auhaus design school and the 6utch design

movement 6e 2ti$l and ,5 3rahic art such as illustration and oster-design

Nowadays! Art Nouveau is viewed as an imortant bridge betweenNeoclassicism and modernism! and a number of its monuments are on the

N/2) World "eritage 4ist! notably the historic centre of 'iga! 4atvia withover ?0 buildings in the Art Nouveau style.

htt#Awww.&isual5arts5!ork.!omhistory5of5artart5nou&eau.htmdesigns

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oriental and art nouveau

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