Author(s): JEAN LAHOR

Art and Design

The Art Nouveau movement is distinguished as the decorative and architectural style that began, in response to the Industrial Revolution. The primary objective of this movement was the creation of a new aesthetic of nature through a return to the study of natural subjects. Designs from this movement are often characterized by plant or floral inspired patterns, and highly-stylized, detailed depictions countering the broad swooping curvatures of a piece in the Art Nouveau style.

In order to achieve this, such artists as Gustav Klimt, Koloman Moser, Antoni Gaudi, Jan Toorop, and William Morris favoured innovation in technique and novelty of forms. Art Nouveau attempts to integrate art into all facets of life including materials from furniture, to decorative items in a home, to architecture; building on the movement's philosophy of incorporating art into everyday life. After its triumph at the Paris Universal Exposition in 1900, the trend continued and has inspired many artists since, as well as the Art Deco movement, the successor of Art Nouveau which appeared after World War I. It is fair to say Art Nouveau was at the heart of a "renaissance" in decorative arts.