I Am Back! Let's do this... Art Nouveau style

So... Here goes another year of maintaining a regularly posted on blog for History of Graphic Design. I must admit, I might have been a little harsh on the mundanity of this subject when I first started this blog (see my First Things First post.) I have encountered a few intriguing offerings of knowledge in the meantime as well as inspiration from various artists' works to apply to my own style as an artist. And even though I do find myself feeling fancy when I can drop a few very educated well-informed sounding lines pertaining to History of Graphic Design at times, the subject still remains the bane of my college existence. 

I am, however, very lucky in the regard that I may choose an overall theme for my blog posts this year based on an object or phenomenon... Imagine my delight. From all this overload of mostly uninteresting soul crunching knowledge, I was given the privilege to paint my posts with a color of my choice. And I, without having to think twice, have chosen the timeless colors of Art Nouveau. 


Art Nouveau is an international decorative style that thrived roughly during the decades of 1890 and 1910 which means it girded the turn of the century. It encompassed all genres of design arts. Its identifying visual quality is an organic plantlike line. Freed from roots and gravity it can either undulate with whiplash energy or flow with elegant grace as it defines, modulates and decorates a given space. Vine tendrils, flowers, birds and the human female form were frequent motifs from which this fluid line was adapted.

The term Art Nouveau arose in an art gallery called Salon de l’ Art Nouveau, run by art dealer Samueal Bing, which opened in 1895. This Gallery became an international meeting place where young artists were introduced.  Art Nouveau soon embraced all areas of art including the previous mentioned along with ceramics, ornaments and book designs.

I grudgingly have to give very rare credit to this subject that is History of Graphic Design as I fell in love with this movement the moment I set eyes on it in our textbook. From how Alphonso Mucha depicted ladies' shapes and hair, to Aubrey Beardsley's iconic whiplash curves and Will Bradley's striking black and white master pieces. It has inspired how I approach every line, curve and contour of my designs and any other designs I lay my eyes on. Art Nouveau ignited a passion for curves within me. The infinite expressive qualities that lie in such a simple design element has influenced my personal approach to art, both my own and of that around me, emotionally, spiritually and physically. 

I have connected to this art movement on a deeper level. It is as if my artistic soul found it's favorite candy and can't get enough of it. It craves it. Gets breathless at the sight of it. Drools over it. Adores it. Cherishes it. Relishes in it's beauty. And I can honestly say that, if I should find myself in the presence of an art piece from one of the above mentioned artists, I will either cry, faint or an overwhelming combination of both. 

I, therefore, dedicate my posts onwards to this glorious movement. I will strive to ignite a spark of admiration in anyone who finds themselves reading my posts, whether casually or with intent. This blog will become a place where Art Nouveau can be experiences, absorbed and admired. May every post inspired someone, entice someone or even ignite a drive in someone to join me in attempting to revive the characteristics of this movement into our post modern designs. 

"The world had long since wearied of art nouveau's glitter. But it's time once again to rediscover its beauty, not to mention its edge-of-seat boldness" 
~ (Art Nouveau - A magical Style, www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/mar/23/art-nouveau-magical-style)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Graphics for Children

Image
Another thing the Victorians were appreciated for was how they developed a more tender attitude towards children. Before the Victorian era, Western cultures had a tendency to treat children as “little adults”. The Victorians expressed their nurturing approach to children with the development of toy books. These were colorful books for pre-school children. A handful of English artist produced books showcasing a restrained use of color. These books represented an approach to children’s graphics that’s still in use today. One of the earliest, and the most influential, designers of children’s books is Walter Crane. As a teenager he apprenticed at a wood-engraving firm. When he was only 20 years of age in 1865 he published his Rail Road Alphabet . His long series of toy books broke away from the conventions of printing material for children. These earlier conventions of graphics supported didactic or moral causes and always sought to teach children a lesson in life. Not Crane. He only soug...
Read more

German Jugendstil and Italian Art Nouveau

Image
When art nouveau arrived in Germany it was also called Jugendstil (Youth Style) after a new magazine, Jugend (Youth). German Art nouveau had strong British and French influences and retained strong links to traditional academic art as well. The Germans had interest in medieval letterforms and it was continued side by side with art nouveau motifs. During the Jugend’s first year its circulation climbed to 30 000 copies per week and the magazine soon attracted the readership of 200 000 per week. Art nouveau ornaments and illustrations were virtually on every editorial page. Full double page illustrations, horizontal illustrations across the top page and decorative art nouveau designs brought rich variety to a format that was about half visual material and half text. One unprecedented editorial policy was to allow each weeks cover designer to design a masthead to go with the cover design. Peter Behrens’s along with Otto Eckmann became widely known for large multicolor wood block prints in...
Read more

Art Nouveau: Alphonse Mucha - The Master of Theatricality

With his a rich body of art work beaming with enchanting women, streaming hair and flowing fabrics, Alphonse Mucha became one of the most fascinating artistic personalities of the turn of the century.  Mucha was, too, a universal artist. He was not solely a painter and a graphic artist,   he also practiced in sculpture, jewelry making, interior decorating and utilitarian art. However, his particular talent lay in decorative graphics, which, to this day, remains the base of his fame.  His name has an everlasting link to the Art Nouveau movement. Between the years of 1879 and 1881, he had a job at a Viennese studio as a junior specializing in stag sets. This revealed his undeniably talented understanding of how to arrange scenic events in an effective manner. The theater became a major source of inspiration for Mucha as it gave him ideas that would form his symbolic gesture-language that he applied to his figures and their spectacularly fantastical costumes. He developed a ...
Read more