Blog Four - Art Nouveau Part Two

 Art Nouveau in the U.S.

The Art Nouveau movement in the U.S. was mainly confined to the works of Louis Comfort Tiffany and Louis H. Sullivan. The movement was introduced to America in 1890 when copies of magazines arrived from France and Europe. Art Nouveau in America consisted mainly of natural and geometric patterns. Most designs had fluid lines, as seen in vines, stems, wings, and other organic things. Some images became very popular and seen in most designs. Some of these include birds, insects, flowers, and women with long flowing hair.

Louis Comfort Tiffany

Louis Tiffany lived from 1848-1943. He studied at the National Academy of Design in New York City. He was a designer and gifted in painting, jewelry making, pottery and glass. He later took over the business Tiffany and Co. He reorganized the business to focus of stained glass art. They produced many American church windows. Louis Tifany mainly focused of the materials metal and glass. He also focused on Art Nouveau lamp construction. 

Louis H. Sullivan

Louis H. Sullivan was known as the “father of the sky scrapers”. He studied at MIT briefly when he was only 16 and later studied at the Ecole des Beau-Arts-Paris for a year. He was dissatisfied with the architectural education they provided. He desired to create a new style of architecture that reflected contemporary America. He wanted to use Art Nouveau-style ornamentation. He is also well known for being involved in the rebuilding of Chicago after the Chicago fire. Sullivan’s mentor was Frank Lloyd Wright. He believed that “form follows function”. He is often referred to as one of the pioneers of modernism. Sullivan has many well-known buildings in Chicago. Sullivan furthered the Art Nouveau movement in America by being conscious of ornamentation and detailing. He still kept the basis of the design in nature and kept the balance of functionality with aesthetics. Sullivan was known for his personalized style of decoration that was extremely detailed and rich. He believed in creating “an architecture appropriate to the new age”. He based his ideas on local flora in America instead of in Europe which led America to new ways of ornamental decoration.

Modern Applications:

Modern Art Nouveau Interior

Modern Art Nouveau Woman Art

Modern Art Nouveau Lighting

One Step Further:

Eugene Grasset was a Swiss decorative artist who worked in Paris, France. He lived during the Art Nouveau and Vienna Secession periods. He is considered a pioneer in Art Nouveau design. He worked in a variety of creative fields. One of his main careers was creating artwork for the covers of magazines. The periodical hired him for a while where he created magazine covers of Art Nouveau women in natural elements. Grasset’s artwork resonated with the American audience. His paintings opened the door for the style’s development in the U.S.