MODERNISM 5: ART NOUVEAU

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MODERNISM 5 ART NOUVEAU JAPONISME
Louis Comfort Tiffany, Vase, glass, 1893-6
Art Nouveau was an influential modernist
movement spanning about 1890-1910. The artists
of this period were very interested in decoration
and beautiful forms, usually derived from
Nature. This vase takes its inspiration from a
peacock feather.
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REVIEW OF SYMBOLISM
Where did it come from? What were its
characteristics?
Eugene Carriere, The First Communion, oil on
canvas,65cm x 53cm, c. 1896.
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• An idea was more important than a realistic
  depiction of Nature.
• Interest in birth death the Spiritual beauty
  innocence dreams. Often has a sense of being
  out of time contrast with Impressionists.
• Flattening of the window on the world illusion
  provided by linear perspective.
• Interest in surface decoration association with
  literature/stories.

Odilon Redon, Pandora, oil on canvas, 143cm x
62cm, c. 1914
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Remember what Neoclassical art looked like.
Jaques Louis David, Death of Socrates, 1787
Careful modelling of the form blended
brushstrokes balanced and harmonious
composition.
Batoni, Diana and Cupid, 124cm x 172cm, 1761
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Characteristics of Art Nouveau

• Art Nouveau was influenced by Symbolism.
  Impressionism had been interested in describing
  things truthfully even scientifically. Symbolism
  had other priorities, which resulted in new ways
  of creating images. Art Nouveau pushed this
  further.
• Scenes from everyday life were not valued as they
  had been in Impressionist art. In Art Nouveau, a
  sinuous curve was a common feature. As with
  Symbolism, there was much less interest in the
  realistic treatment of skin and form. Aspects of
  design became of more important.
•  

Alphonse Mucha, Maude Adams as Joan of Arc, 1909,
208 x 76cm, oil on canvas
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With Art Nouveau there was a blurring of
boundaries between fine arts (traditionally this
was architecture painting sculpture ) and
applied (or decorative) arts jewellery
furnishings design ceramics graphic arts.
There was a desire to regard all these art forms
as equal, rather than the fine arts being seen as
superior. Artists were interested in entire
environments of certain style. This was a
period when industrial production (along with the
middle class) was increasing rapidly. Shops
stocking Art Nouveau objects became more
widespreadthe Art Nouveau style was popular
across Europe and USA (called Jugenstil in
Germany Sezessionstil in Austria Stile Liberty
in Italy the Glasgow style in Scotland.) They
each had different styles.
William H Bradley, Thanksgiving No. from The
Chapbook 1895, journal cover.
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• Also, advertising and signage were becoming more
  widely used.
• Bearing in mind the increase in industrial
• production, how might this affect our Conceptual
  Framework? (That is, the relationships between
  artist, artwork, audience and world)

Alphonse Mucha, Nature, gilt bronze, silver,
marble, amethyst, 69 x 27 x 30 c.1900
Hector Guimard, Metro signs Paris, c. 1900
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• In art nouveau architecture, materials of wrought
  iron, glass and steel were being used in new
  ways.
• Natural forms were freed from roots and gravity
  as never before, becoming part
• of a design.
• (Meggs, 1998,p.183.)
• Clip on Art Nouveau architecture
  http//www.youtube.com/watch?vYsB6D5gEXnM

Victor Horta (Belgian, 1861-1947, stair way of
Tassel House, Brussels 1893
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Rene Lalique, Dragonfly woman corsage ornament,
23 x 26cm, 1897-8, Gold, chrysoprase, enamel,
moonstones and diamonds.
Both women and dragonflies were favourite motifs
of Art Nouveau, influenced by Japanese art.
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Rene Lalique, Peacock pectoral, 1898-90, 9cm x
19cm, gold, enamel, Opals, diamonds.
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JAPONISME the influence of Japanese art

• In the second half of 19th cent there was an
  increase in trade and communication between Japan
  and Europe/USA. Up till then, Japan had existed
  in deliberate isolation from the West (except for
  some selected contact.) This gave Japanese art a
  chance to develop a strong, unique national
  character.
•  
•  

Hiroshige, Station of Otsu, woodblock print,
1848-9
Note that this image is concerned with everyday
and contemporary life. This approach greatly
influenced the Impressionists.
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Toulouse-lautrec, Moulin Rouge La Goulue,
colour lithograph poster, 1891.

• Printmaking techniques from Japan became popular
  (woodblock prints). Around this time, the colour
  lithograph became available. This is a drawing
  created on a stone which multiple prints can be
  taken from at relatively low cost. This allowed
  the poster to be created an important
  development for advertising.

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• From 1860s on art from Japan became very popular,
  not just as 2-d artworks, but on furniture,
  textiles etc. Images from everyday life images
  of people from the theatre prostitutes erotica
  and also landscape art. These styles influenced
  the Impressionists post-Impressionists
  Symbolists Art Nouveau.

Mary Cassatt, Maternal Caress, etching, 36cm x
27cm 1891
Mary Cassatt is associated with the
Impressionists, and here shows the direct
influence of Umaros artwork coming to France in
late 19th cent.
Utamaro, Midnight, Hours of the Rat, mother and
sleepy child, woodblock print 1791
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RESOURCES

• Metropolitan Museum of Art Heilbrunn Timeline on
  Art Nouveau
• http//www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/artn/hd_artn.htm
• National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, Art
  Nouveau Education site http//www.nga.gov/educati
  on/tchan_1.shtm
• Meggs, Philip B. A history of Graphic Design. 3rd
  edition. New York John Wiley Sons Inc., 1998.
  P. 183.
• Magnificent collection of Rene Laliques work
  Museu Gulbenkian http//www.museu.gulbenkian.pt/c
  oleccao.asp?langen
• Alphonse Mucha http//www.muchafoundation.org/hom
  e
• Metropolitan Museum of Art Heilbrunn Timeline
  Essay on Japonisme
• http//www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/jpon/hd_jpon.htm

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EXAMINING THE EXAM

• Hand-out first two pages of an HSC exam.

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Q 1 How has the artist represented King Henry
VIII in this painting?
Plate 1 Hans Holbein the Younger, (14971543,
Germany) Portrait of Henry VIII, 1539 40, oil
on panel, 88.3 x 74.9 cm, Galleria Nazionale
dArte Antica, Rome
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• Q 2 How are ideas about cultural identity
  represented in these photographs?
•  
•  
•  

Plate 2 Rosemary Laing, b. 1959, Australia
groundspeed (Red Piazza) 2, 2001 type-C
photograph, 110 X 205 cm Note Red Piazza was a
carpet pattern popular in Australian homes and
entertainment venues in the mid twentieth
century. Note Laings photographs are not
digitally manipulated.
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• Plate 3 Rosemary Laing, b. 1959, Australiaone
  dozen unnatural disasters in the Australian
  landscape 2, 2003 type-C photograph, 110 x 205.7
  cm

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