The Allure of Art Nouveau

From the previous posts we got to know how artists, as well as designers, led to this stage through their designs by getting inspirations from various previous and oriental styles. It was inspired mostly by the Arts and Crafts movement founded by John Ruskin and William Morris, as well as Egyptian hieroglyphs, Celtic art, Japanese prints which were transported to Europe through the English colonies, looking back at Rococo and the Gothic revival. And a huge inspiration was nature where the dragonfly and peacock which would be seen very often in the designs. Artists integrated elements of living organisms as well as the delicate figure of women. It is also characterised by the whiplash curves and the absence of straight lines or right angles, but not so much in the case of Scottish and Austrian styles. During this movement we encounter artists such as:

Viktor Horta (Belgium),

Rene Lalique and Hector Guimard (France),

Van de Velde (Germany),

Gustav Klimpt, Joseph Hoffmann and Joseph Olbrich (Austria)

Antoni Gaudi (Spain),

Charles Rennie Mackintosh (Glasgow),

Tiffani (America) and

Alfons Mucha (today’s Czech Republic).

Alfons Mucha

Victor Horta

Rene Lalique

But when looking at the Art Nouveau in Scotland, especially that of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, one can see that it has less whiplash curves and more angular curves which resemble those of Celtic art. 

works by Charles Rennie Mackintosh

But what really caught my attention was the change in fonts used which made me think of something else I had seen … American horror story!

From Art Nouveau in France, to that in Glasgow to today’s American Horror Story.

It intrigued me how a modern TV series chose to use such a particular font so I made some research. It turns out that initially they were going to make use of “Frank Lloyd Wright” font, the American architect known for his stained glass apart from his organic designs. But since Wright was inspired by the Scottish Charles Rennie Mackintosh they thought it more appropriate to use the Mackintosh font. Then I thought of another question … “why did they choose such particular artists?” so I furthered my research. The house in which the whole series is situated was supposedly built by a prominent surgeon for his wife in 1922, and decorated the interior with Tiffany glass which would have been very stylish at the time. The stained glass windows feature the colour blue and green, which Nora, his wife, explains was Charles' tribute to her eye colour. 

These Tiffany lamps were famous at the time due to their focal point they set in a particular room. Apart from light and decoration they were also a statement of crftsmanship, beauty and elegance to whoever set eyes on them in one’s home. These lamps are usually done with nature inspired designs but the ones used in the series are not so full with said designs like the ones we are accustomed to expect to see.

Each series is situated in a different era for instance season 2 is supposedly during the early 1960’s and season 3 is during the 18^th century but they still make use of things we are familiar with. Taking as example the issue with mental homes during the 60’s and things that were happeneing at the time as seen in “Asylum” as well as relating to performances by famous artists such as Pina Bausch's Blaubart performance as seen in “Coven”.

"Coven" picture inspired by Pina Bausch's Blaubart performance.

Anja Wessels. March 2012. Art Nouveau by Alfons Mucha. [online] Available at: http://mybestongoogleplus.blogspot.com/2012/03/art-nouveau-by-alfons-mucha.html [Accessed on 19^th October 2013]

UN. Belle Maison: Art Nouvaeu. [online] Available at: http://www.bellemaisoninc.com/2008/05/art-nouveau/  [Accessed on 12^th Oct 2013]

Les coulisses du Luxe par Mademoiselle VIP. April 2011. The Art of Jewel by Rene Lalique. [online] Available at: http://www.lescoulissesduluxe.org/article-the-art-of-jewel-by-rene-lalique-71041199.html [Accessed on 19^th October 2013]

Charles Rennie Mackintosh, 1901. House for an Art Lover competition entry. [online] Available at: http://designmuseum.org/design/charles-rennie-mackintosh [Accessed on 19^th October 2013]

Abby Rogers. May 2012. Famous Britons: Charles Rennie Mackintosh [online] Available at: http://www.picturebritain.com/2012/05/famous-britons-charles-rennie.html [Accessed on 19^th October 2013]

TV Dark. 2013. American Horror Story: Coven – Main Title.  [online] Available at: http://tvafterdarkonline.com/television/american-horror-story-coven-main-title/  [Accessed on 19^th October 2013]

Wiki. American Horror Story: Murder House (location). [online] Available at: http://americanhorrorstory.wikia.com/wiki/Murder_House_(location) [Accessed on 19^th October 2013]

Keyboyos. March 2013. Exploring the Beauty of Tiffany Lamps [online] Available at: http://keyboyos.over-blog.com/article-exploring-the-beauty-of-tiffany-lamps-102123984.html [Accessed on 19^th October 2013]

Back in Time ...

To understand better what lead to Art Nouveau we have to look back to what happened beforehand, such as the Gothic Revival which is also known as the Victorian Gothic. This is mostly an architectural movement which took place in mid 18^th century England and its popularity kept growing till the early 19^th century. Admirers such as Pugin instigated people to revive the Medieval Gothic architecture, moving away from the neoclassical styles of the day.

The thing was that since the Industrial Revolution started, people had drifted away from Christianity so this Gothic Revival brought them back to religion and to visit churches because they had introduced a new element to the buildings. Architects like Pugin were bringing back the majestic structures and the “fear of God” as well as the “insignificant feeling” when entering such churches and buildings due to the extreme high arches and stained glass windows. Taking as example the A.W.N. Pugin building of Scarisbrick Hall, it is considered to be one of the finest Victorian Gothic buildings. Also it is hard to identify if it is actual Medieval or Gothic Revival era, such difference is simply the age of such building. Pugin believed in the idea of truth to materials so each material should be used appropriately and should not be hidden. 

In time, John Ruskin took Pugin’s preaching a step further. He was completely against the Industrial Revolution and the mass produced designs it brought with it. Ruskin, together with Morris were the two main founders of the Arts and Crafts movement (1860-1910) which was established after the Great Exhibition. Both Ruskin and Morris believed that if something was done with such craftsmanship and dedication said craftsmen had to be so happy and love what they did. Ruskin believed that the architects and designers of the Gothic period enjoyed complete freedom of expression in their works, which in reality they did not. But Ruskin did not know that such architects were actually commissioned and could not be expressive as they wanted to be.

In time, John Ruskin took Pugin’s preaching a step further. He was completely against the Industrial Revolution and the mass produced designs it brought with it. Ruskin, together with Morris were the two main founders of the Arts and Crafts movement (1860-1910) which was established after the Great Exhibition. Both Ruskin and Morris believed that if something was done with such craftsmanship and dedication said craftsmen had to be so happy and love what they did. Ruskin believed that the architects and designers of the Gothic period enjoyed complete freedom of expression in their works, which in reality they did not. But Ruskin did not know that such architects were actually commissioned and could not be expressive as they wanted to be.

To further understand what was happening to such designers one has to look at what was going on to the rest of the world. Such things as the opening of the Suez Canal and the English colonies were going back to home and taking different cultures back with them. So apart from various periods we also get different cultures being used together, such elements from Celtic art, Japanese prints as well as Egyptian art. Therefore by the help of Owen Jones and his collective book of patterns and designs, The Grammer of ornament” people would know the patterns’ origin and use them accordingly.

Egyptian Print

Greek Print

Medieval Print

Morris Marshall Faulkner & Co. was to create harmony between various parts of a successful work. He wanted crafted things to be affordable but that could never happen. So his down side was that he never connected the industrialisation with craftsmanship.

Artists such as John Evert Millais and Edward Burne-Jones where looking back at Medieval art when painting, but then the figure was from the Renaissance. By doing so they were further paving the way for Art Nouveau.

Lady Godiva by William Morris











Ophelia by Edward Burne-Jones

Later we will see paintings such as this painting by Alfons Mucha in which the various styles and eras are visible. Elements from the Roman era are visible in the profile posture of the woman as well as the mosaic and garland of leaves around her head.  And elements of Japanese prints by the bold outline, block colours and the impression that it looks almost flat. 

Alfons Mucha in comparison with Roman coin and Japanese print.

 UN. 2013. An Encyclopaedia Britannica Company: Gothic Revival. [online] Available at: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gothic%20revival  [Accessed on 19^th October 2013]

UN. UN. Our Civilisation: John Ruskin. [online] Available at: http://www.ourcivilisation.com/decline/ruskinj.htm  [Accessed on 19^th October 2013]

Anja Wessels. March 2012. Art Nouveau by Alfons Mucha. [online] Available at: http://mybestongoogleplus.blogspot.com/2012/03/art-nouveau-by-alfons-mucha.html [Accessed on 19^th October 2013]

Owen Jones: The Grammer of Ornamnet. [online] Available at: http://www.thegrammarofornament.com/ [Accessed on 19^th October 2013]

finds, 2013. Portable Antiques Scheme: Augustus. [online] Available at: http://finds.org.uk/romancoins/emperors/emperor/id/1 [Accessed on 19^th October 2013]

Softpedia. 2008. Antique Japanese Bird Prints Screenshots.  [online] Available at:  http://www.softpedia.com/progScreenshots/Antique-Japanese-Bird-Prints-Screenshot-27310.html [Accessed on 19^th October 2013]

June 2011. The William Morris Society: Furniture and Other Decorative Arts [online] Available at: http://www.morrissociety.org/morris/artdecorative.html [Accessed on 19^th October 2013]

The Dilemma between Quality and Quantity

During the Industrial Revolution the designs produced needed to be seen thus the Great Exhibition started to take place each year, around the world to display said design creations. The Great Exhibition gave a lot of importance to what was happening at that time, whether such interests were in art, science and technology, of political, economic and social significance. It not only put on display what was happening in Britain but the whole world therefore people could compare designs, styles and most importantly, quality.

People started comparing designs which were made in Europe, mainly Britain, to those produced in America and they noticed that there was a tremendous difference in the quality of the products. The thing was that the Americans had got the hang of mass production by producing designs which were more functional and better made simple designs for everyday use. Europe was still concerned with ornamentation similar to that found in the Renaissance but there was no need for such extravagance.

What intrigues me most is that amongst all the steel and steam engines you always get someone who wants to escape from the surrounding world and bring back colour and life to the dark and foggy slums. Someone who manages to break his way through like a plant does to break through the soil. To make it even more appropriate this person was William Morris, one of the founders of the Art and Crafts Movement. He was inspired by Ruskin, and Morris himself was a keen supporter of the gothic style and spirit.

Morris was a romantic and therefore his creed was that there needed to be love towards each hand crafted product and fought against the ‘inhuman’ conditions towards the products due to mass production. What he did not realise was that during Medieval times it was not out of ‘love’ that they created certain designs but because this were imposed on them, but he saw so much intricate detail in their works that could not think of it in any other way. So he produced his prints to revive the medieval spirit and homage to nature itself. Morris not only looked at nature himself but also instigated other people to do the same and other artists to look back to medieval times.

 

It is true that his deigns were full but they were organised. Such works have so much detail and intricate design but still put in place with great thought about each detail. They are not cluttered like the low quality tapestries that were being produced at the time. They are well positioned and also have a sense of symmetry in them.

Another of his great works is the intricate design found on the pages of ‘The Nature of Gothic’ by John Ruskin which made him also a pioneer in graphic design. 

As much as he looked back to medieval times, from his drawings it is noted that nature had the upper hand and his designs are foreshadowing what later on would be known as Art Nouveau. Here is a comparison between the two.

 
Medieval Stained Glass and Victor Horta Tassel House

Kenbaker. Dec 2008. The Significance of the Great Exhibition. [online] Available at: http://kenbaker.wordpress.com/2008/12/09/the-significance-of-the-great-exhibition-1851/ [Accessed on 12^th Oct 2013]

UN. Roots: William Morris and the Medieval Revival. [online] Available at: http://www.artscrafts.org.uk/roots/wmorris.html  [Accessed on 12^th Oct 2013]

Maraya, Dec 2011. Print Paper Cloth: Designer Spotlight – William Morris (1834 – 1896). [online] Available at: http://printpapercloth.com/designer-spotlight-william-morris-1834-1896/   [Accessed on 12^th Oct 2013]

UN. Belle Maison: Art Nouvaeu. [online] Available at: http://www.bellemaisoninc.com/2008/05/art-nouveau/  [Accessed on 12^th Oct 2013]

Spoonflower, Jun 2010. Stained Glass Design. [online] Available at: http://blog.spoonflower.com/2010/06/stained-glass-design-wins-medieval-fabric-competition.html [Accessed on 12^th Oct 2013]

The Industrial Revolution

The wheel could have started as a toy and eventually its application created a new way to move goods and produce and further along the way it improved with the help of James Watt’s invention; the steam engine.  This invention marked the beginning of industrialisation because it revolutionised the meaning of industry and steel production.

Design style changes do not happen overnight but are the product of a complex mix of historical, political and social changes. In many cases styles co-exist for a time with the modern pushing the old out until forgotten through disuse.

Before the Industrial Revolution, goods were of low quality and produced by individual craftsmen from start to finish often at a high cost in labour and material. Eventually, when the idea of mass production took hold this brought the production costs down, production levels up and its retail price within reach of most of the population.

The time between 1914 and 1950 was a period of great upheaval, loss of life and world depression. However new technologies, sometimes developed during wartime, steadily improved and design went through different styles.

When talking about the Industrial Revolution, one cannot leave out the great Henry Ford! His revolutionary assembly line inventions for his automobiles created jobs and also reduced the price of autos down to a level that most consumers could afford. When Ford put in the assembly line method a Ford could be bought for $495.00. One could have it in “any colour you like as long as it is Black” which was his famous quote. During war times he adjusted his auto factories to military factories so that he could produce trucks for the army, scouting cars and even airplanes. During World War II his factories were producing Jeeps.

Therefore by the means of the assembly line more products could be completed more easily and more efficiently. For instance, Henry Ford managed to produce 15million cars in 20 years. What we need to understand is that by having mass production, products were standardized and therefore parts could be easily found. But apart from mechanics and cars, this was also happening to everyday and household designs. There started to be a loss of stylistic variety and designs were not made by artists or craftsmen. There was a drop in the quality of the product but on the other hand there were more affordable designs.

But to get into more detail about the quantity versus quality dilemma one has to talk about the Great Exhibition. But that is to be discussed in the next blog entry!

Late 19^th Century London, Sep 2010. Making it magazine. [online] Available at: http://www.makingitmagazine.net/?p=1605 [Accessed on: 11^th Oct 2013]

Jennifer Rosenberg. 20^th Century History: Henry Ford. [online] Available at: http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/p/henryford.htm [Accessed on: 11^th Oct 2013]

Ernesto Trejo & Cody Cortner. A Big Step Towards Fewer Steps – the assembly line and its importance.  [online] Available at: http://hfordassemblyl.weebly.com/the-assembly-line-and-its-importance.html  [Accessed on: 11^th Oct 2013]

Introduction to Design

What is Design? 

Design is what links creativity and innovations. It shapes ideas to become practical and attractive propositions for users or customers. It may also be described as creativity deployed to a specific end. Design is all around us, everything man-made has been designed, whether consciously or not. 

This is a simple definition from former Chairman, Sir George Cox in the Cox Review:

The design of things is the history of things. There is a difference between making things and a good way of making things. This is where design comes in! With regards to this point, Dame Vivienne Westwood pleaded to the people to: “Buy less. Choose well. Make it last. Quality, not quantity. Everybody’s buying far too many clothes. . . It doesn’t mean therefore you have to just buy anything cheap. Instead of buying six things, buy one thing that you really like. Don’t keep buying just for the sake of it. I just think people should invest in the world. Don’t invest in fashion, but invest in the world.”

The thing about design is that it changes due to time, technology and innovation. To design something you need to know its context, which means that you need to know your history, culture and surroundings prior designing anything! To better understand the difference between invention and design we can look at the example of the calculator. The first calculator machine was invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642, which looked nothing like the calculator we are accustomed to nowadays. But since then, due to the passing of time, its design has evolved to the present one, to which we pay more attention to ergonomics as well as function.

 What does design Mean?

Design can mean or imply various things. For instance how things look is the decorative design. But it also deals with how things work which is the functional design. Hence the well known statement of Form follows Function.

Fortunately in the 21^st century we managed to have a balance in appearance and function thus functional things can also be pleasing to the eye!

Bibliography:

Mat Hunter, What design is and why it matters. [online] Available at: http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/about-design/What-design-is-and-why-it-matters/ [Accessed on 2^nd October 2013]

John Dunne, September 2013, London Evening Standard. [online] Available at: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/buy-fewer-clothes-says-fashion-designer-vivienne-westwood-especially-if-youre-poor-8819634.html  [Accessed on 2^nd October 2013]