What is Art Nouveau? (AN)

Art Nouveau is the French/Belgian name of an art movement in reaction to the academical schools at the end of the XIXth century (1894-1914). This movement was represented in Europe and also in the United States. It often had several names in each country. Some were named after major artists, magazines or firms (e.g. in France, "Style Guimard," in Germany, "Jugendstil," and in Italy, "Stile Liberty" see etymologies). Other, more general referred to something new ("Art Nouveau" in France, Modernism in Spain, "Nieuwe Kunst" in the Netherlands or "Sezessionstil" in Austria). In each country, "Art Nouveau" had its own identity, and sometimes artists at that time were opposed to each other. However, beyond these "oppositions" between countries or even artists, we can find, retrospectively, numerous common points in each movement. By "Art Nouveau", I mean all the avant-garde movements during the period 1894-1914 in reaction to the academic and historical point of view.

Art Nouveau artists wanted to erase the distinction between major and minor arts. They aimed at unifying all arts, centering them around man and his life. Therefore architecture, which has a direct influence on man's life, was the central art on which every skill is naturally integrated. Architecture is seen as a total art; every detail, every object in or on the building is related to the whole. Other crafts/arts of the Art Nouveau period not related to building are placards and jewelry. But jewelry took women as its center.

Some art historians like to talk about an Art Nouveau "style" (as they would talk about Gothic, Roman, and Baroque styles) that took its inspiration from nature and women. One of the main arguments for gathering all the national movements into a single style is their common roots.

Others think that this first point of view is too reductive for movements that can have different approaches and even self contradictions. They prefer to study a "period" in Arts that ends at the First World War.

Art Nouveau, if defined as a decorative style, was already declining since the middle of the first decade. It was sparely in use after WWI, but in Spain by Gaudi or in Germany by Mendelsohn, or in countries where it had started later, like Greece and Argentina.

This server is made more or less in the second way of thinking, while not rejecting the fact that the Art Nouveau "style" is the first thing that a beginner sees and that this style had an important role in this complex period, especially with the beginning of mass advertising. Hypertext links are very useful to show a multifaceted world.

Etymologies

Art Nouveau etymology

The name "Art Nouveau" ("new art" in English) was first used by contemporary critics in Belgium. It was then used by S. Bing to name his art shop in Paris, which specialized in contemporary work by Art Nouveau artists. The term is now used in English and French.

Jugendstil etymology

The name "Jugendstil" literally means: style promoted by the Jugend magazine (Jugend means Youth in German), which was created in Munich in 1896. It is now used in German to designate Art Nouveau. In Poland, the Art Nouveau movement was called Young Poland.

Stile Liberty etymology

Stile Liberty means "Liberty Ltd." style in Italian. This famous English company was one of the few English companies involved in Art Nouveau.

Secession

This word is used in German to characterize artistic movements rejecting the imitation of historical styles. Viennese Secession is the best known, but such movements existed also in Dresde, München, and Berlin.

Arts and Crafts

This word is used after the William Morris Association, which rejected the use of machines and pushed hand-made, high quality objects. The esthetics of Arts and Crafts is partly inspired by medieval Art and closely related to the Preraphaelist painting movement. The Arts & Crafts style directly inspired the Continental artists by the way of world fairs, magazines and visits.