The History Of Art Nouveau

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Art Nouveau was an international style of modern art and promulgated the idea of art and design as part of everyday life, which I will explain in this essay. The aim is to understand and locate an object within a historical context by identifying the characteristics of the style and by writing a formal and contextual analysis of the object, to not only get a beter understanding of the object but the art movement as well. The Industrial Revolution brought about significant economic developments and social changes. Industrialization led to an increase in population and urbanization as people moved to urban areas for employment. Some individuals became wealthy but this period also saw the creation of a middle class that enjoyed the benefits…show more content…
It was a response to the radical changes caused by the technological advances and urban growth that followed the Industrial Revolution. It represents the beginning of modernism in design, since they reclaimed the craft tradition but simultaneously rejected traditional styles in favour of new organic forms that emphasized man’s connection to nature. (Mr. Oscar Wilde Lifetime Art, n.d) The origins of Art Nouveau are found in William Morris’s resistance to the cluttered compositions and revival tendencies of the 19th century, which also helped to initiate his Arts and Crafts movement. Arthur Mackmurdo’s Wren City Churches (1883) book-cover with its rhythmic floral patterns is also considered to be the first realisation of Art Nouveau. Many artists were also influenced by the organic forms of Japonisme (that was popular during 1880-1890) as well as the strong colours and flat perspective of Japanese woodblock prints, which had a strong effect on the formulation of Art Nouveau. (Wikipedia,…show more content…
It was considered a “total” art style, embracing all the design disciplines as well as fine arts. The artists aimed not to depict or describe nature but to elicit sensual impressions like the attempts of French poets and to escape the restrictions of the real and visible world. They took up the question of how we see and how we know the world by shifting the task of the artist from an observer. They were in favour of applying artistic elements to everyday objects, believing no object was to utilitarian to be beautified. The style was also a reaction to a world of art which was dominated by Neoclassical forms and they sought to move as far away from the classical models by developing a new graphic design language. (Art History Unstuffed,

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