About Art Nouveau & Art Deco

Art Nouveau is a style that was in vogue in various parts of Europe between 1890 and 1914. This style is characterized by asymmetrical and organic compositions. Subjects often include elegantly stylized plants and flowers (lilies and irises), birds (swans and peacocks), and dragonflies, often accompanied by female figures. The organic lines are used as a means to express emotions.

The origins of Art Nouveau lie in England. Due to the second industrial revolution around 1850, increasing value was placed on everything made by machine. Honest craftsmanship lost popularity. At that time, a machine-made product was considered more valuable than an object made by artisans. Cheaper production allowed people to earn much more money and gain access to products that were previously only available to the truly wealthy.

To meet the suddenly increased demand, old styles were imitated but finished carelessly. With the rise of the printing press, the craft of beautiful handwriting (calligraphy) also fell out of favor. However, the impoverishment of form and detail and the imitation of styles without context as a result of this industrial revolution was not embraced by everyone. Some people longed for a return to traditional, handmade products. Back to a time when the craftsmanship and manual work were visible. Object versus creator: a human being, not a machine, is the starting point of the Arts & Crafts Movement.

Well-known pioneers of this movement are John Ruskin and William Morris. They sought to implement a reform that harked back to the artisanal production of objects of solid quality and honest workmanship. Thus, it is not so much a style as a design principle. The intended goal is to design for the common man. Due to the often excessive costs, this aim fails socially; however, it does succeed artistically. The movement disappears, but its ideas are adopted by artists in America and Europe. It is William Morris who promotes craftsmanship, restores calligraphy to a respected art form, and is regarded as the founder of Art Nouveau.

The Arts and Crafts Movement is greatly admired in Europe and is seen as a challenge to introduce new forms in art. The movement first sets foot in Belgium in the form of a Brussels group called “Les Vingt” (the Twenty). Well-known members of this group include James Ensor and later Jan Toorop. Other prominent designers from that time include Henri van de Velde and Victor Horta. In France, Samuel (Siegfried) Bing and René Lalique are the leading pioneers.

However, there is a significant difference between Belgian and French Art Nouveau. Under the influence of Victor Horta, Belgium develops a more stylized style that will later be called the “whiplash” style. This style remains more faithful to the calligraphic style of William Morris. French Art Nouveau, on the other hand, is clearly characterized by anatomical accuracy and a realistic depiction of nature. In both countries, however, there is a continued commitment to artisanal craftsmanship and high quality of work. This results in such a high price that Art Nouveau art remains a luxury both socially and materially.

The love and attention to detail and quality are key. Every facet of the design receives full attention in all its expressions and components. They represent more than the sum of their parts. By zooming in further and further, a new reality unfolds that surpasses the previous one. These ideas will be further developed into a movement that will eventually be called Art Nouveau. This movement derives its name from the Maison Bing de L’Art Nouveau, founded in 1895, the first salon of the international French Art Nouveau, by Siegfried Bing. He was an art dealer of German-Jewish descent in Paris. René Lalique was a frequent visitor to this Maison and would design many pieces for Bing. In Western Europe, Art Nouveau fell out of favor as early as around 1910. In Eastern Europe, it was only with the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 that this happened.

Art Deco is a movement that had a major influence between 1919 and 1939 on decorative and applied arts, as well as on graphic, (interior) architectural and industrial design, as well as on visual arts and fashion. It is an eclectic movement: it makes use of various styles and art movements. Forms inspired by ancient Egypt and the Aztecs can also be found in Art Deco designs. Although some designers have a political or philosophical intention, Art Deco primarily serves a decorative function.

Around 1900, a number of French artists founded a collective called La Société des Artistes Decorateurs. Members and founders of this collective include Paul Follot, Emile Decour, Eugène Grasset, Maurice Dufrene, and Hector Guimard. Their aim was to make the development of French decorative art known to the world. In 1925, seven years after the end of the First World War, this group organized a world exhibition in Paris under the name: Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes. It was an exhibition focused on applied arts. The term ‘art deco’ owes its name to this event, but the term only became popular when art historian Bevis Hillier wrote a book about this exhibition in 1968 called Art Deco of the 20s and 30s. In 1971, he organized an exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts called Art Deco.

The 1925 exhibition is the first to require artistic innovation as a condition. This leads to new stylistic elements. A new eclectic form emerges, characterized by the combination of elements from different styles and movements, such as functionalism, constructivism, futurism, cubism, and modernism. Thus, a collection of objects, forms, or images that share no outward features but do form a whole can be classified as art deco. Art deco is primarily a collection of different styles, all of which strongly react against the organic ornamentation of art nouveau. In architecture, art deco is often an element within another movement. In the United States, alongside art deco, a new movement called “streamline” arises as a result of the aerodynamic laws from the aviation industry.

Cylindrical shapes and horizontal lines set the tone. This movement is a strong reaction to both art deco and the severe economic situation. It is the first style to incorporate electric light within architecture. The grand hall of the SS Normandie (a luxury ocean liner) was fitted with thirty-eight light columns designed by Lalique. The outbreak of the Second World War brought an end to the art deco and streamline periods. But thanks to Bevis Hillier, the term art deco lives on. Today, many original art deco designs by René Lalique can still be seen in the Lalique Museum in the historic Hanseatic city of Doesburg.