Lecture Summary

Zodiac by Alphonse Mucha. Part of the Art Nouveau movement, this illustration was made through lithography.

Around the times of the 1850’s-1900’s many things were happening all at the same time. What stand out the most to me is the Art Nouveau movement. From what was discussed, Art Nouveau was the “rebirth” of old styles while combining new styles to create a new art form. Coming from the rejection of Modernism and Victorian styled forms, Art Nouveau would pave the way for fancy artisan crafts. Art Nouveau is a mish-mash of multiple art forms, including but not limited to: ukiyo-e, rococo, and renaissance styled forms of art.

I think what is the most surprising about the movement is not the impact it had in visual and crafted arts, but the general influence Art Nouveau had on a lot of things at the time.

This time I will be talking about Art Noveau and it’s influence on Architecture.

Motifs

The architecture inspired by the Art Nouveau movement often featured symbols of flowers, plants and animals, and ornamented curves and patterns. The doors and windows are often sloped and have organic forms compared to cold hard rigid edges.

Most of the buildings are a combination of nature and industrial change, and often feature a array of vivid colours.

Many materials were used in building these magnificent structures. With the incorporation of glass-work, ceramic, ironwork, and clay.

Taking these into consideration, we will now look at some buildings inspired by Art Nouveau.

Casa Batlló, Barcelona

Casa Batlló building in Barcelona

Created by Antoni Gaudi, this building is massive, and magnificent to no end. The interior is covered in organic and unusual arches that makes you appreciate the craftsmanship and planning placed into the building. Being decorated with tiles and mosaic stained glass, one can imagine the luminous colours that can be shown here.

A glimpse of the interior of Casa Battló

I adore the organic shapes and the soft curves that were made. The building does not exude the cold stiffness that most modern buildings have now, instead there is a warming and energetic feel in the architecture. The curves that support the stained glass help lead your eyes into the building, and the simple spirals that compliment the pillars add a nice touch to the complicated structure as there is not much to distract from the rest of the building.

Summary

There are many things that I would love to talk about for the Art Nouveau movement. I think the architecture aspect of the Art Nouveau movement stands out to me the most, as the studies that I have done concerning architecture are mainly focused on Gothic/Decorated styles compared to the organic feel of Rococo and Art Nouveau.

citation:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau#Architecture

https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-art-nouveau-architecture-history-overview.html

https://www.britannica.com/art/Art-Nouveau

https://www.barcelonaturisme.com/wv3/en/page/752/casa-batllo.html

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/the-most-beautiful-art-nouveau-buildings-around-the-world