Formation of the Art Nouveau style in European art
A significant milestone in the history of the new art nouveau style (lat.modernus, fr. Moderne – new, modern), which originated in Belgium, was the opening in Paris in 1895 of a shop-salon of contemporary art with the symbolic name “L ‘Art Nouveau” (” new art “). Indeed, it turned out to be a new art, significantly different from all previous artistic styles.
On the one hand, Art Nouveau sought to absorb everything that has already been accumulated by mankind in the field of artistic creation, and on the other, to say a completely new word in art, to develop new forms and images, to create a single international style. The modernist coped with the assigned tasks perfectly. He really had a common artistic language, a single system of expressive means and techniques.
Of great importance for the development and approval of the Art Nouveau style were the organization of numerous exhibitions, articles and reviews in popular art magazines, architectural structures that appeared in cities in a new style. Art Nouveau quickly “dissolved” in advertisements and posters, photographs and book illustrations, in colored stained-glass windows. Signs of the new style were easily recognized in musical compositions and theatrical performances. Everyday household items (furniture, dishes, wallpaper, fabrics) and the fashion of that time clearly demonstrated the features of the Art Nouveau style. Now to deny its presence has become a pointless and useless affair. However, as always, there were many critics who gave it very hard-hitting names – “new sweet style”, “languid noodle style”, “tapeworm style”.
The new artistic language was based on line – decorative and dynamic, flexible and mobile, conveying the energy of life. The S-shaped line, borrowed from the swaying sea waves and algae, fluttering butterflies and dragonflies, the stems and flowers of lilies and iris reaching for the light, girl’s hair fluttering in the wind, defined one of the main distinguishing features of the Art Nouveau style – its ornamentation. The Belgian architect Victor Orta gave this line an expressive name – “the blow of the whip”, and his compatriot Henri van de Velde emphasized that the line of Art Nouveau is distinguished by “flexibility and elasticity, capable of transmitting the current of energy bursting from the depths of nature …”.
A fluid, smooth, continuous line, reminiscent of a serpentine, filled the facades of architectural structures, musical forms, the space of paintings or theatrical stage. The ornamental beginning of Art Nouveau united almost all types of art.
One of the brightest representatives of floral Art Nouveau was the French architect Hector Guimard (1867-1942), who created his own special, the so-called Guimard style, or “metro style”, in architecture. It was distinguished by the sophistication of curly and curved forms, complex patterning, asymmetry, violation of natural proportions. The line in his works turned into a kind of element of the organization of space, devoid of parallelism and symmetry.
In 1898, Guimard received an order for the construction of three stations of the Paris Metro. He saw the main goal of his project in the design of ground pavilions. For the first time, floral decorations, previously used only for interior decoration, became the property of architecture. Iron pillars, painted in dark green, reminiscent of old bronze, served as a support for the entrance to the metro. Metallic weaves of tropical flowers, bunches of water plants, lanterns in the form of bright red tulips that suddenly emerged from the asphalt amazed the imagination of the audience.
The ornamentalism of the Art Nouveau style can also be explained by the special interest of artists in the exoticism of the East, and in particular in Japanese art. Ornate, whimsical elements of Arabic ornament: arabesques, patterns of oriental carpets, silhouettes of Muslim minarets and mosques, forms of vessels – served as a starting point for the creativity of Art Nouveau artists. From the works of oriental art, they inherited the idea of asymmetric compositions, beauty and smoothness of line, the priority of emptiness (amor vacui – love of emptiness).
The original and vivid aesthetics of Art Nouveau was based on the idea of a synthesis of arts, the desire to create a unified style in architecture, graphics, painting and design. The creativity of the majority of Art Nouveau masters was distinguished by its versatility. They knew how to do almost everything.
A characteristic feature of the Art Nouveau style was its functionality, that is, focus on use in everyday life. Art was tasked with creating a wonderful and comfortable environment in which every person’s daily life could take place. Art for All sought to use economical materials like glass, concrete and metal. For example, glass manufactories created not only single highly artistic works, but also mass serial products that were not inferior in quality to them. One could experiment endlessly with materials made of transparent or fashionable frosted glass. The most favorite were lamps with images of mushrooms, trees, flowers or insects.
At the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. the Art Nouveau style covered almost all European countries. He also stepped over to the American continent, where it became quite widespread. In each of the countries it acquired its own name: “Art Nouveau” – in France and Belgium, “Art Nouveau” – in Germany, “secession-on” – in Austria, “liberty” – in Italy, “modern style” – in Great Britain , “Modernissimo” – in Spain, “tiffany” – in the USA, “modern” – in Russia. In every national culture, he left a bright and noticeable mark. Having absorbed the spirit of its turbulent time, Art Nouveau existed until the outbreak of the First World War (1914), having a huge impact on the further development of art. Until the middle of the XX century. it was forgotten or spoken of as an absurd bad taste. The true discovery of Art Nouveau began in the 1950s, at the same time its assessments changed and were revised.
