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Even after the revolution in style caused by the Aesthetic and Art and Crafts Movements, designers continued to search for ways to reflect the changing world of the late 19th century. In the last quarter of the century, international trade was more important than it had ever been. At the same time, there was a consciousness, particularly amongst artists and designers, that this was a new, modern age which should be reflected in their work; they needed a ‘new art’. This was not a purely British movement but was seen worldwide in Europe, Australia, the USA, Canada and Japan. So what are the characteristics of Art Nouveau? It was a conscious attempt at modernism and a departure from traditional Victorian forms of design, most of which looked back to the past for inspiration. Designers rejected the inspiration of classical European art and instead looked to Japanese, Celtic and other folk art as a basis for their work. This can be seen in works by artists such as Gustav Klimt. Typical motifs come from nature: flowers, insects and birds. Lines curve and wind, straight lines were scorned by Art Nouveau designers. Symbolism is important in the designs. For example a leaf may be just a leaf or perhaps it is part of the female body. Designers used forms from the natural world in ways that suggested they might represent human limbs. They used traditional materials like wood, glass, and pewter. 
Kiss, 1907-08Klimt, Gustav Buy this Art Print at AllPosters.com It is only comparatively recently that Art Nouveau was accepted as a 'style' and accorded any real recognition. It had been seen as a collection of different styles with little in common except, perhaps, a taste for excess and flamboyant decoration. Not only is there no consensus on exactly what is Art Nouveau, there is even some argument over the period it covered although generally it is thought to be from the 1890s to about 1910. Art Nouveau was not universally acclaimed, particularly in England. Many critics of the period saw it as decadent and self indulgent. For example, the sculptor, Sir Alfred Gilbert who created Eros in Piccadilly Circus, said “L’Art Nouveau, forsooth! Absolute nonsense! It belongs to the young lady’s seminary and the duffer’s paradise….” This was not untypical of the feelings of the time. In London, the famous Liberty department store had been instrumental in encouraging and promoting Arts and Crafts. Arthur Lasenby Liberty, its proprietor, knew many of the designers and, in the 1890s, promoted Art Nouveau in both the London and Paris stores. Indeed, in Italy, Art Nouveau was known as Stile Liberty so synonymous was Liberty & Co with the style. Liberty sold work by designers like Lindsay P. Butterfield, who produced textiles and wallpaper, and Archibald Knox who designed across a wide range from pewter and jewellery to carpets and clocks. Many gifted designers embraced Art Nouveau. There was René Lalique who produced glass and jewellery. Much of the jewellery is exquisitely delicate, and depicts natural forms like flowers, leaves and seed pods. Unusually for a jewellery designer of the time, Lalique’s pieces often had relatively little intrinsic value because he did not often use large gemstones in his work. He refined the use of glass in jewellery, not as imitation diamonds or other precious stones, but as a painter uses paint. This technique continued into vases, statuettes, car mascots and glass panels. Louis Comfort Tiffany is another of the period’s great designers. Like Lalique, he designed using both glass and jewellery and is perhaps best known for his lamps and smaller glass objects. Some of his most stunning work in glass, however, was on a much bigger scale. Examples can be seen in the Tiffany Chapel, reassembled at the Morse Museum of American Art in Florida. Constructed using Favrile glass (Tiffany’s own invention), the reredos or altar wall shows a bunch of grapes between two peacocks over which hovers an enormous crown. The chapel also contains leaded windows by Tiffany. Antoni Gaudi in Spain might be one of the most controversial Art Nouveau designers. The keynotes of his architecture were fluid lines and extravagant exterior decoration much of it done by using a mixture of applied materials to the outside walls. His best known building is probably the cathedral, Temple de la Sagrada Familia, still incomplete, and from which the outside seems to have seeped and flowed in places while in others it is moulded into organic shapes. There were many gifted designers of the Art Nouveau period, many
of whose work is now highly valued and very collectable. When comparing
and contrasting the work of these designers, it is easy to see why
the style is so hard to categorise and why there has been a prolonged
debate about what is Art Nouveau. (This article first appeared in the monthly magazine Antiques & Collectables.)
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