Art Nouveau

Arts & Crafts to Art Nouveau:

• renewed interest in book art reaches Germany
• Neuland(sp?) created with idea that it would be pinnacle of German typography
• looks chiseled out, reminiscent of mediaeval
• Neuland designed 1923 by Rudolph Kosh
• Neuland most commonly used for African American literature
• Arts & Crafts leads to Art Nouveau, logically
• decide that machinery isn't all bad, try to incorporate
• Jules Cheret, father of the modern poster, 1866 doe in the wood
• poster is about theater, entertainment, trompe l'oieul
• Jules Cheret 1900 la Pantomime, ephemeral, sold for 41k in 1998
• typically in his work is central female figure, vignette, atmosphere around her
• typography is placed around the scene
• approaching designs as artist, painter
• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1891 contemporary of Cheret
• Cheret Moulin Rouge 1890
• Eugene Grasset exhibition poster 1894
• Grasset is rival of Lautrec
• coloring book style, heavy black lines, flat panels of color
• lithograph print that looks like xylography
• heavy influence of eastern art, specifically woodblock
• Grasset title page 1883, reductive, abstract
• reductive styles start to become more important
• complex figure-ground, planes, panels
• Arthur Mackmurdo, chair from 1851 compared to title page from 1883
• quality of line, sensual, high-contrast, rugged
• The Century Guild has magazine Hobby Horse, Machmurdo and others
• Hobby Horse is where they shared ideas, showed designs, experimented
• spreads ideas of arts and crafts movement, vehicle to spread philosophy
• beginnings of manifesto, ideas about the world, making a stand
• organic forms become very popular
• another popular magazine was The Studio, highlighted work of Beardsley
• The Studio early issues edited by Walter Crane
• Beardsley bad boy of art nouveau, infant terrible, famous at 20
• does his own illustrations, influenced by Morris
• nymphs tangled in designs, naked playing with thorns, more contrast, darker
• while reminiscent of Morris designs, much darker, different thought
• Morris thought he vulgarized the Kelmscott style
• The Yellow Book another magazine, symbol of new and outrageous
• illustrations reminiscent of woodblock prints
• Beardsley illustrations for Oscar Wilde, women, eastern influence, considered shocking
• Victorians shocked by this celebration of "evil"
• Alfons Mucha illustrator goes to Paris for work, works in print shop
• Sarah Bernhardt leading actress of era
• she didn't like posters that had been done, someone comes to shop Mucha works at
• they want rush job, he's alone covering for co-worker
• art nouveau gets its identity from Mucha, names synonymous
• in his work is stylized forms, plants, flowers, reductive, folk art elements, byzantine tiles, elements of magic and occult
• Mucha influenced by Grasset, elements breaking planes
• Mucha poster of stylized female figure, tilework, tendrils of hair, whiplashed, repeating pattern in background giving depth
• Vienna Chic 1906, woman with tendrils, peacock feathers, negative space integrated with text, exotic lines, flat female form
• Bernhardt signed Mucha six year contract
• Orazi also did work for Bernhardt, influences are Grasset and Mucha
• Orazi uses hair tendrils, flat female form, sophisticated young woman in front of counter
• GE logo designed during this period, asian motif

I guess I never realized how much my own illustrations draw from the themes of art nouveau..not that I'm the next Mucha or anything..but I like to draw with bold lines, patterns, tendrils of hair, clothing and flat colors. I was really impressed with all the illustrations and the Lautrec pieces brought be back to my high school french class, where my teacher, Mme. Pisano has Lautrec posters on the wall..I always loved them. I find it interesting that they all seemed to be drawing from eastern woodblock printing, which I've always admired, but that they were translating it in a western fashion. I also thought the typography was impressive, and I liked how the letterforms curved and flowed into one another, yet could often fit into a strict grid.