With the recent development of reliable and accessible transportation, the Art Nouveau period was one of the more interconnected movements. While artists from earlier periods, like Da Vinci and Michaelangelo in the Renaissance, met frequently, it was because they had been born in the same country. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Vincent Van Gogh were born over 1000km apart, and yet they ended up taking art lessons together in France. Ukiyo-e prints from Japan, and the resulting fetishization of their culture referred to as Japanism, was a crucial influence on the Art Nouveau movement, as well as movements that followed, such as Impressionism, Cubism, and Neo-Traditionalism.
My last lecture from Capilano University professor, Judy Snaydon, focused on the years 1895 to 1905. If I took anything away from that class, it was that everything is more intertwined than we realize. As a tattoo art enthusiast, I immediately recognized the similarities between Art Nouveau and Neo-Traditional designs. The gallery at the top of this post features Peter Behrens ‘The Kiss” (1898) and a tattoo design “Mucha inspired candelabra for Rebecca” (2018) by Neo-Traditional artist Hannah Flowers. One hundred and twenty years between these artworks, and yet the whiplash curves and muted palette makes it look like they could be from the same artist. Below is the hand-rolled cigarette ‘Job’ poster (1898) that gave Alphonse Mucha his first taste of fame. Beside Mucha’s piece is one by Arielle Gagnon portraying a woman adorned in black glass jewels, pearls, and a pink feathery hood that frames her stoic face (2019). This blonde woman gently caresses the neck of a polar bear wearing matching ornaments. Although Neo-Traditional designs often have more developed shading and elaborate outlines, the likeness to its influencer is undeniable.
Art Nouveau and Neo-Traditionalism celebrate the empowerment of women and their bodies through sultry yet normalized portrayals, often framed by flowing locks, sumptuous jewellery, and botanical decoration. When women aren’t the main subject, animals and flowers are their replacements. Cool pale blues and greens with adornments of gold, purple, and red are what I’ve personally noticed as the most common palette for both of these styles. Another teacher of mine, Jeff Burgess, told my class that “You stand on the shoulders of giants” and “Art is your heritage-own it and be proud of it”. Movements such as Neo-Traditionalism shed light onto Jeff’s words, and display how they reign true. Each creative movement throughout time has been intrinsically intertwined, with the movement before disapproving of the next. The beauty and individuality that flowers with each new artistic development proves to be worth the effort, and we are left with another powerful genre to add to the list and learn from.
Definition of Art Nouveau
A style of decorative art, architecture, and design prominent in western Europe and the US from about 1890 until World War I and characterized by intricate linear designs and flowing curves based on natural forms.
Summary of Neo-Traditional
Although very different, visually, from American Traditional, Neo-Traditional still uses the same base of techniques to complete the tattoos such as outlining in dark black ink. Ukiyo-e Japanese prints, Art Nouveau, and Art Deco are all art movements that influence Neo-Traditional tattoos. Neo-Traditional tattoos are known for their dense and richly sumptuous aesthetic that often depict flowers, portraits of women, animals, and more.
Image Citations:
https://www.moma.org/s/ge/collection_images/enlarge/85/70285.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/84/4d/35/844d358eca233f804d06e6a6d276ee08.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ec/9f/27/ec9f27b7d20ddf0fdaca95a786382b07.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/68/e7/20/68e72086caec5e4667ab6bdc25cd9811.jpg
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/89/Henri_Privat-Livemont_-Rajah-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/474x/b8/06/64/b806642d066f7aea2b7ef50cdd16a175.jpg
https://retrographik.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Bitter-Oriental-Henri-Privat-Livemont-1897.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ea/b4/3b/eab43ba127fcb2f85b4cae44d9b76571.jpg
Information Citations:
https://www.tattoodo.com/guides/styles/neo-traditional
https://www.tattoodo.com/a/where-nouveau-and-deco-meet-neo-traditional-tattoos-14250
https://www.skinfactorytattoo.com/neo-traditional-tattoos/
https://emozzy.com/neo-traditional-tattoo/