Art Nouveau - Creative Arts Movement of 19th Century Designers

What we refer to today as the Art Nouveau movement was one that geared away from known conformist period styles, to designs that advocated art for the sake of art and aesthetics.

The movement was started in an attempt to evolve a new fashion, an Art Nouveau style that had absolutely no links to the past. That movement started in Belgium in the 1880's.

At best, the movement represented a loud protest against design norms. They wanted freer outlets for the arts, styles and designs of their architecture, interiors, furniture, fabrics, and even their stained glass and other ornamentations. Art Nouveau was most successful as a system of interior architectural embellishments.

Art Nouveau was generally associated with the curvilinear feature. Its design premise was based on irregular flowing lines of plant forms.

Ornamentations came in form of slim vertical lines with panels adorned with beautiful flowers, curvilinear shapes, and mermaid like forms. And mediums included stone, iron and glass.

Great works of Art Nouveau architecture of the era include Charles Rennie Mackintosh's architectural masterpiece, the Glasgow School of Arts, Antonio Gaudi's Church of the Sacred Family and the Guell Park, both in Barcelona.

But one of the most celebrated if not the best work of the Art Nouveau era is The Town House, built in Brussels and designed by Victor Horta in 1893.

The difference between the arts and craft movement and Art Nouveau is that while the former is tied to sentiments for machine made products and its convenience, the latter was based on the intellectual.

Henri Van de Velde of Belgian descent, who studied fine arts and later, applied arts, regarded the machine as offensive, a nuisance and an insult to fine art, craftsmanship, logic and reason. And just as William Morris did, he saw in it a certain form of ugliness devoid of finesse.

He it was, who became the spokesperson for the Art Nouveau movement and the intellectual purveyor, setting a basis for the new art.

The renowned Scottish architect, Charles Rennie Mackintosh had a unique touch with his architectural designs, a style that showed no evidence of past designs or period architecture.

His remarkable designs including furniture designs and interior decoration were noted for their perpendicularity of form. Charles Mackintosh "took the wriggling tendrils of those water lily roots and with his stern hands drew them tight and held them perpendicular."

This vertically orientated style became the hallmark of his works even today.

Art Nouveau style was based on the fact that line as it appears in nature, developed form and didn't just serve as a medium for ornamentation. Curvilinear sweeps subsequently became a mark of association with Art Nouveau architecture, furniture, etc.

Furniture designs of chairs for example, had curvilinear arms, legs and chair backs. Architectural features had the 'flowing lines' phenomenon, also known as the Belgian curve. This feature which resembles the flat part of an ellipse, was used for furniture forms, furniture supports and wall openings.

• Bespoke Furniture Designers Of 19th Century Furniture - Michael Thonet
• William Morris - Furniture and The 19th Century Design Reformation
• Art Periods - Bauhaus School and the Modern Art Movement
• Objections Against The Industrial Revolution. The "Evil Machines"

Although the Art Nouveau movement was mostly popular in Austria, Italy, France and Germany, throughout its era, Belgium, its 'place of birth' remained the primary source for artful ideas of Art Nouveau ornamental themes.

And though its advocates pursued its cause because they desired a break from period styles, it soon became one itself, and just like all period styles, Art Nouveau soon faded into oblivion.

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