Art Nouveau Earrings
(1890-1910)
The Art Nouveau period was characterized by its use of long organic lines and natural colours. This was used often in architecture, interior design, jewelry, and glass design. It was an attempt to create something new. Art Nouveau used flower stalks, vines, insect wings, and other delicate and natural elements. The Art nouveau period was an important part of visual design history because it aimed at modernizing design. Moving away from all the historical styles before it. It broke down the traditional distinction between fine arts and applied arts and married the two.
Art Nouveau earrings and jewelry brought on the same feel as all the other trending design elements of this time. It used organic natural creatures such as insects or butterflies, with natural colours of greens, yellows, and other earth tones, and it was all about showing the light through the translucent jewelry. So most pieces were made from Plaque-a-jour enamel which means “letting in daylight”. This really makes the jewelry from this time stand apart from other periods.
Rationale:
I chose to make a pair of earrings that essentially show the artistic, design and architectural elements that were used at this time. The earthy tones, the stained glass, and the use of bronze /iron (gold in my artifact). It encompasses the vibe of the art nouveau period.
I would give myself an 8.5/10. The artifact its self is a true representation of this period. I believe that the photos capture the artifact really well. I wanted to show off the stained glass and bronze (gold) that is used often in interiors, architecture, design, and jewelry in this period. The catalogue its self is sufficient and describes the essence of how this artifact relates to this period and is important.
One thing that was difficult to do was to capture the light coming through the stained glass earrings, and I thought it was an important part of the artifact so I included two product shots in the catalogue. Alongside the product shot showing off the stained glass element of the earrings, I included a photo of a recreation inspired by the art nouveau posters that were a stable piece of design from this time.