What Art Nouveau Means to Me

Heya! Welcome to my blog.



I wanted to chat with you a bit about the basics of Art Nouveau before I get into what it means to me as an artist in today's world. Some of you may be somewhat unfamiliar with the style so I'll give you a quick run-down.



History:
Art Nouveau was an extremely popular style from 1890 until about 1915 or so. Before this, art was all about portraits and landscapes and everything had to be painted in a photo-realistic fashion. Because this was such a time-consuming process for the artist, they charged a lot of money for their services, which meant that only the wealthy could afford to be surrounded by art. There were a lot of young, talented artists who felt that everyone should have access to art and that it should be a part of everyday life. They also wanted to completely rebel against standard definitions of what art should be and how it should look. Artists such as Alphonse Mucha, Walter Crane and Gustav Klimt lead the way into the rebellion.



The Style:
The style can best be described as organic and graceful. The various lines used were often curved (sometimes almost violently so) and there was a flow and movement to the pieces. The use of nature was also very prevalent; from the artistic use of vines acting as a border to the abundance of leaves and flowers as decoration, these things helped to put a stamp on the style itself.
Another interesting thing to note was the fact that many artists used pen & ink and even those that painted their work used a very flat style of shading. They wanted to get away from the photo-realistic and more into the interpretive. In a sense, each artist wanted to create their own ways of drawing leaves, trees and people. They were unfettered... unchained by other peoples' definitions and expectations. This way of drawing became known as illustration and these illustrators were the naughty kids of the new world!

Here are some examples: Mucha - http://www.rare-posters.com/p1226.html

Klimt - http://www.ancienttreasuresusa.com/v/vspfiles/parastone_paintings/kiss_klimt.jpg

Beardsley: http://www.bibi.org/box/2005/setembro/Aubrey_Beardsley.jpg



The Effect:
The Art Nouveau movement had a pretty profound effect on just about everyone and here's why... Before 1890, packaging was pretty plain, functional and boring - in other words very conservative. Once the movement started, saavy business owners started using these artists to jazz up their book covers, advertisements, packaging, etc. This resulted in huge sales because folks could have the product and as a bonus, get some free art into their homes by way of the biscuit tin or magazine cover. The movement also spilled over into furniture design, architecture, jewelry, silverware, etc. Art Nouveau was literally changing the way that people looked at the world!

Some examples: http://www.riga-life.com/media/pics/art-nouveau.jpg

http://amournouveau.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/art-nouveau-doorway-paris.jpg

http://www.tademagallery.co.uk/hairCont/Medium/3084_Aucoc_Comb_325.jpg

http://imagecache5.art.com/p/LRG/15/1556/M8HDD00Z/alphonse-mucha-cycles-perfecta.jpg



What Does Art Nouveau Mean to Me?

Because this is the style that I've happily chosen to adopt I feel a bit rebellious. I've had art directors tell me that my style won't sell. I've had other artists tell me that my backgrounds are too elaborate and draw too much focus away from the main piece. I've had clients shy away from hiring me because they want their marketing materials to look like everyone else's. They all certainly have a right to their opinions and I'm very cool with that. Their words, however, will not deter me or sway me from my path in the least bit. Because of the doubters and the nay-sayers, I feel even more of a kinship with the original Art Nouveau illustrators than ever before. They had their doubters too and they kept going.


I love the style of art to be sure, and you can see it in my work, but more than the art - it's the attitude and the sheer determination that these guys had. They knew that their work was important. Art Nouveau means I have the freedom to create something new that not a lot of other artists are doing. I get to stand apart, shout my name from the rooftops and make people notice me! It means I get to be a rebel... http://rookemare.deviantart.com/art/Silver-and-Steel-108849732


Thanks for reading. :) See ya soon!

Chaz