Art Nouveau Movement

    Art Nouveau 

        Alphonse Mucha

                                                                                   

Art Nouveau was inspired by the art and crafts movement. This movement flourished in Belgium towards the end of the 19th century. This style of art was decorative and the artists played around with imagination and fantasy to create their art. There were many other subjects that influenced these artists such as Japanese prints, nature, Celtic designs, Egyptian art, Gothic revival and Rococco. Straight lines or right angles were not visible in Art Nouveau. 

Imagery that was inspired by nature was altered completely and stylized with curves and shapes. As a result the underlying geometric form was easier understood. These artists of Art Nouveau discovered he capability to push aside their previous influence which was mainly historical and capture what they saw in nature to create a new and modern piece of art. " Art Nouveau was stylisation taken to the extreme". There was no classical link. It was new and completely different to any previous art. 

One of the best artists from Art Nouveau was Alphonse Mucha. Mucha produces a series of works and posters which are very original and unique. I had attended his exhibition some time ago and his work immediately caught my eye and influenced me to study graphic design. Another main artist in this movement is Hector Gulmard.

References:

 History of Art Notes taken in class
 Alastair Duncan, A.D,1978, Art Nouveau and Art Deco Lighting , Thames & Hudson Ltd