3D identity art nouveau

Art Nouveau

Art nouveau was an art movement that swept through the decorative arts and architecture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Art Nouveau was aimed at modernising design, seeking to escape the historical styles that had previously been popular. Artists drew inspiration from both organic and geometric forms, combining the two to create elegant flowing designs which resulted in a unique style.

The desire to abandon the historical styles of the 19th century was an important force behind Art Nouveau. Industrial production was, at that point widespread, but the standards of the decorative arts were increasingly slipping compared to the earlier periods. The practitioners of Art Nouveau sought to revive good workmanship, raising the status of craft, and producing genuinely modern design.

The advent of Art Nouveau can be traced to two influences. The first was the Arts and Crafts movement around 1880 which was led by the English designer William Morris. This movement, like Art Nouveau, was against the designs and compositions of Victorian-era decorative art. The second was the current vogue for Japanese art, particularly wood-block prints, that influenced many European artists in the 1880s and 90s, including the likes of Gustav Klimt, Emile Galle and Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo.

It is said to be difficult to pinpoint the first work or works of art that officially launched Art Nouveau. Some argue that the patterned, flowing lines and floral backgrounds can be found in the paintings of Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin represent Art Nouveau's birth. Most critics point to the origins in the decorative arts, in particular to a book jacket by English architect and designer Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo for Wren's City Churches. The design depicts serpentine stalks of flowers coalescing into one large, whiplashed stalk at the bottom of the page, clearly reminiscent of Japanese-style wood-block prints.