Art Nouveau was an international style of decoration and architecture developed in the 1880's and 1890's. The name comes from the
Maison de l'Art Nouveau, an interior design gallery opened in Paris in 1896, but the movement had different names throughout Europe. In Germany it was 'Jugendstil', from a magazine
Diejugend (Youth) published since 1896; in Italy 'Stile Liberty' (after a London store,
Liberty Style) or 'Floreale'; in Spain 'Modernista', in Austria 'Sezessionstil' and, paradoxically, in France by an English term 'Modern Style' emphasizing English movement origins.
In design
Art Nouveau was characterized by writhing, often symetrical, plant forms. A tension implicit throughout the movement existed between the decorative and the modern. Its emphasis on decoration and artistic unity links the movement to contemporary Symbolist ideas in art, as seen in the work of the Vienna Secessionists, but the movement was also associated with the Arts and Crafts ideals and, as such,
Art Nouveau bridges between Morris and Gropius.
WATERCOLOR PAINTING ART NOUVEAU HUGE CARTOUCHE FOR BLUE SCARF - Purchased with a group of antique drawings from
L'Ecole des Beaux Arts Lye Clermont Ferrand, Our feature piece in this exhibit is a genuine Art Nouveau period piece, circa 1900.
A representative majolica tile design of a pink rose in a highly stylised Art Nouveau border by Henry Richards, 6" x 6", circa 1900.
'Majolica' originally described bright glazed wares made in Mediterranean Europe. Opaque colors were applied over a usual red clay (terracotta) body, being opaque glazes they masked the clay color. A lead glaze was sometimes applied to give pottery a high gloss finish.
As technology progressed white clay bodies were produced to replace the use of tin glaze and bright colors were incorporated in lead glazes so pottery similar to majolica was made in a simpler two stage process - a white clay body with applied color glazes. Victorians adopted the title 'majolica' for these lead glazed wares. The term Majolica has now become widely used for any pottery with a moulded and brightly glazed surface.
1871 to 1914 represents a fascinating period in both European and American history. After the Franco-Prussian war of 1870/71, Europe enjoyed peace for more than forty years until the start of the First World War in 1914. Many important developments took place especially in England, France, Austria, Germany, and the United States. There was nearly no other period during which so many artists and scientists were contemporary.
The arts and sciences developed with an incomparable speed and intensity, yet there was a balance between industrialization and a romantic longing for nature, which not only the French call
La Belle Epoque. This period witnessed the second wave of the industrial revolution.
Art of any genre prospered like never before: From Impressionism to Art Nouveau and Cubism. All social classes were seized by the feeling of a new start into better times, wanted to stop old-fashioned traditions, to participate in progress and to profit through their income.
When speaking of the
Belle Epoque, there's no doubt that it concerns a period somewhere between 1871 and 1914. Historical research has not fixed the term yet. So when did it really begin and how long did it last?
In December 1877, William Morris gave his famous lecture about "Decorative Arts" in London; the movement "Arts and Crafts" arose around 1880.
In 1882, Oscar Wilde contributed to disseminate the aestheticism by publishing his papers about "House Decoration" or "Art and the Handicraftsman". In Paris, the "Chat Noir" opened in 1881, the "Moulin Rouge" in 1886. In Nancy, Emile Gall� produced his first works of glass art in 1883, and the Paris World Fair inaugurating the Eiffel Tower was held in 1889. The foundation of the Munich Secession took place in 1892, the foundation of the magazine "Die Jugend" (The Youth) in 1896; in 1897 followed the foundation of the Vienna Secession.
For some, the
Belle Epoque began in 1901 when Edward VII, a great admirer of
Art Nouveau, became King of England, which meant the end of the Victorian era. This seems to me much too late and very arbitrary. By weighing those few before mentioned dates, one can recognise two things: The
Belle Epoque lasted about three decades and spread through London, Paris, Munich, or Vienna at different moments; the enthronement of Edward VII in 1901 took place at the heyday of this era.
The
Belle Epoque, is characterized by a satiety of traditional art, architecture and daily life, a satiety of past pomp and ostentation. The joy of life awoke in all social classes, a desire for new, extraordinary, sensational things. Progress in science and technology, improvements in social, financial and political status during a long period of peace promoted increased prosperity, wide-spread optimism, and trust in the future. Cheerfulness, permissiveness and flashy outfits ruled (English aestheticism, French courtesans, music-halls, cafe-bordels, the Vienna waltzes). Painting, arts and crafts, architecture were looking for new ideas as much as music. Art entered the daily life of the decorative arts that could be enjoyed by all peoples.
While there is no defining moment that started the
Belle Epoque, it is clear that by the start of World War I, it was over. Around 1910/11, Art Nouveau suddenly became old-fashioned, and Gustav Mahler died. It is certainly not wrong to say that this marks the end of the
Belle Epoque. One event more than any other announced the end of the
Belle Epoque, when the Titanic sank on the 15th of April 1912. With her sank imperturbable optimism, naive trust in technology and the illusion of a splendid and glorious future. The terror of two world wars arose on the horizon, and confidence gave way to anxiety as we all learned that technology had a dark side.
Our opening reception for this show is from 5 to 9 PM, on Friday the 8th of September 2006, at
Shangri-La Gifts of Ithaca, 156 The Commons (E. State Street). Exhibit is open Tuesday to Saturday throughout the autumn, September to November 2006.
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