Art Nouveau in the U.S

In my last Blog, I talked about Art Nouveau and its influences in the design world. It was an artistic movement that began to thrive in Europe around 1890. It was meant to highlight the importance of decorative arts that were craft-based as opposed to traditional liberal arts. It is characterized by its use of a long, sinuous, organic lines and was engaged most often in architecture, interior design, jewelry and glass design, posters and illustration. As it gained popularity in Europe, it shortly made its way to the U.S. through technology, travel and different forms of transportation and communication. This allowed the design elements to join together and rapidly get into the U.S. from Europe. Many artists, designers and architects were excited by new technologies and lifestyles. Art Nouveau has been acknowledged by historians as an important branch between the progression of Neoclassical aesthetics and Modernism.

America does signify two very important designers who influenced and inspired the moment. This is Louis Comfort Tiffany & Louis H Sullivan. Sullivan was an architect and writer. His architecture reflects his goals. He is known for creating a form for skyscrapers and office buildings that forms taller rather than longitudinal. They are highlighted with their verticality and its strength of its decorative work. This is an example of one of his highly expressive buildings called the Pirie Scott building in Chicago, IL. The photo on the left is a detail of the corner entrance. They used cast-iron materials that were highly complex. They had delicate, organic and floral motifs. The image on the right is of the overhanging cornice. It’s located at the very top that signifies the end of the building’s ascent. This had become a stamp of Sullivan’s design and aesthetic. 

Another individual who was a big inspiration to the movement was Louis Comfort Tiffany. He was a designer in Decorative Arts. He was very talented in painting, jewelry making, pottery and glass. His life-long goal was “the pursuit of beauty.” Later in 1885, Tiffany started to really focus on new methods of glass manufacture. His achievements were to create complete interiors through stained glass. He believed that nature should be the primary source of design inspiration. Captivated by color, he adapted into glass with the rich palette found in flowers and plants. While glass making is the most compelling form in which Tiffany worked, he designed and constructed everything that made up an interior. This included furniture, textiles and wall coverings. In these examples you can see the beautiful, highly detailed and decorative ornamentation from the stained glass. 

 

A step further:

One of the designers who was inspired through this movement was Frank Lloyd Wright. He began his practice with Louis H Sullivan. In his earlier works, they contain a lot of decoration similar to Sullivan’s. This was before he started focusing on linear and geometric designs. He believed that decoration should emphasize and stress the structure of the building. Besides buildings, he has also designed pieces of furniture and stain glass of his houses. This is a picture of the interior of the Robie House by Wright. These screens illuminated the interior with lots of natural light .These were the primary features of this house. It is an expression of his creative intelligence, imagination and passion for beauty. 

Art Nouveau was an essential part of society, as it consolidated artwork and diverse peoples across the world. It delivered a sense of modernism into design and could be seen in all aspects of life.

Resources: 

https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/know-your-architects/a359-15-projects-by-father-of-skyscrapers-louis-sullivan/

https://www.vmfa.museum/mlit/about-conservation/the-life-of-louis-comfort-tiffany-from-painter-to-decorator/