Art Nouveau: Major Themes & Influences of the Movement

SUMMARY

• Diverse Influences: Art Nouveau drew from Rococo, Ukiyo-e, Celtic symbols, and the Arts and Crafts movement to create a fluid, unified aesthetic.
• Female Figures: Women were central in Art Nouveau, often depicted in romantic, 2D styles by artists like Alphonse Mucha and Aubrey Beardsley.
• Nature and Sensuality: The movement emphasized natural elements and sensuality, rejecting industrialism in favor of organic, flowing forms.
• International Reach: Art Nouveau influenced styles across Europe, like Jugendstil in Germany, and impacted American designers such as Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Art Nouveau emerged in the late 19th century and was considered groundbreaking due to its blurring of the lines between applied and fine arts. Characterized by flowing lines and organic motifs, this movement was influenced by several of its predecessors, including Ukiyo-e, the Arts and Crafts Movement, Celtic art, and Rococo. In addition to having direct inspiration within the art world, Art Nouveau was also inspired by elements of nature and the feminine form. Discover the major influences and themes of Art Nouveau, as well as its distinctions from the Art Deco movement and global influence.

Major Influences of Art Nouveau

The term Art Nouveau first appeared in an 1884 edition of the Belgian journal, L’Art Moderne. The publication used the term to describe art that followed the theories of French architect Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc and British critic John Ruskin. These men wanted to unite all art styles; by following this mindset, artists would combine elements of rococo, Japanese ukiyo-e, Celtic symbols, and other styles to form a unique, fluid aesthetic. All these influences gave Art Nouveau a multifaceted face with many different themes.

1. The Arts & Crafts Movement

The Arts and Crafts movement, which lasted from the 1860s-1900s, also influenced the formation of this style. English designer William Morris (1834-1896) spearheaded this movement by founding Morris, Marshall, Faulkner & Co in 1861. At the time, people considered industrially-produced items to be non-artistic, and utilitarian. He sought to keep craftsmanship alive within production, selling handcrafted jewels, books, furniture, and more in this company.

The Arts and Crafts movement influenced Art Nouveau in many ways, including in its designs inspired by nature, such as those with exotic flora and fauna that used free-flowing lines in their depiction. Many Art Nouveau artists cited William Morris as an inspiration, and the way he lacked pretentiousness in his use of artistic medium carried over to this new movement.

The 2D style of Ukiyo-e had a sharp visual influence in Art Nouveau. Japanese woodblock prints and Ukiyo-e artwork have a long history of inspiring western artists, including Vincent van Gogh, and the Art Nouveau movement was no different. Gustav Klimt and Alphonse Mucha in particular were inspired by Ukiyo-e and Japonisme, the influence of Japanese art on impressionism. This influence is reflected in the Art Nouveau artists’ use of clean lines, two-dimensional planes, and imagery inspired by nature.

3. Celtic Symbols & Imagery

Celtic art was also a major influence in Art Nouveau. In particular, Celtic art’s use of natural forms and non-linear geometric design are largely reflected in the movement. Another way Art Nouveau was exposed to Celtic art was through the Celtic Revival, which overlapped the movement with and influenced many artists of the time. Similar patterns to the Art Nouveau movement can be seen in this Battersea Shield, from c. 350-50 BCE.

4. Rococo

Another major artistic influence on the development of Art Nouveau is the Rococo movement. Some critics have referred to Art Nouveau as a 19th century reimagination of the Rococo art movement, and this can be seen in many ways. A main throughline, of course, is the focus that both movements have on nature and natural themes. Both movements also have a large focus on feminine subject matters.

Major Themes in Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau often incorporates a combination of women, natural elements, and sensuality. While that sounds the same as Renaissance art, its distinctive visual nuances set it apart. Below is an overview of the main three themes in the Art Nouveau movement, along with some examples of artworks by key members of the movement that depict these themes.

You can see examples of Art Nouveau’s women in Alphonse Mucha’s work. He created advertisements for various businesses like publishing houses, travel companies, and theaters. You might recognize him as the artist behind the famous poster Monaco-Monte Carlo (1897).  Other romantic depictions of women appear in Aubrey Beardsley’s illustration for Oscar Wilde’s Salomé. These drawings, such as The Peacock Skirt (1893), portray women in 2D, similar to ukiyo-e art.

2. Natural Elements

Contrary to popular belief, the term “natural elements” means more than flowers. Brooches in the shape of delicate, colorful insects were popular during the Art Nouveau period. One could buy a copy of Pride & Prejudice with a peacock’s feathers adorning the cover. Art Nouveau celebrated nature as another way to reject industrialism. Tying in with other themes, flowers, vines, and animals could also be used to create a sensual picture.

3.  Sensuality

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec portrayed sensuality in his Art Nouveau-style posters. He was a dedicated patron to the cabaret Moulin Rouge. There, he would paint dancers in his personal art and create posters for events. His illustration of Le Chat Noir (1896) and Jane Avril (1893) both continued to follow this 2D style and included the delicate tendrils, lines, and detail of Art Nouveau.

Is Art Nouveau the Same as Art Deco?

Although their names would have many confused, Art Nouveau and Art Deco are distinct in both style and era. Art Nouveau ended where Art Deco began. But it had a similar run, lasting from the 1920s to World War II. Art Deco used different materials from its predecessor, such as chrome and steel. It aimed to embrace an industrial aesthetic as opposed to going back to nature.

Visually, you can tell the two styles apart by looking for geometric patterns. Art Nouveau lets its lines run without rules, similar to the way plants grow in nature. Art Deco, on the other hand, uses hard shapes like squares and circles to make their pieces.

The metro stations in Paris are a quintessential example of Art Nouveau. When the Compagnie du Métropolitain was developing it for the first time, they wanted it to feel welcoming. They knew that a train system would be a strange, new addition to the people of Paris. So they had a contest to design the entrances, and Hector Guimard won with his sketches of green canopies and vines. Since then, the French government demolished some of these landmarks. Luckily, 88 remain that are protected as historical monuments since 1978. It’s no surprise that it would be called art nouveau in France, but many people don’t realize that it took on different names (and changes) across other countries.

Jugenstil & the Secessionist Movement

In Germany, the Jugendstil style was an offshoot of Art Nouveau. The word comes from the phrase Die Jugend (meaning the youth), and was named after a magazine dedicated to emerging art styles. Germany’s take on the style also featured flowers, but it involved more arabesques and abstract figures. In Austria, Art Nouveau became the Secessionist movement. In 1897, Gustav Klimt, Joseph Maria Olbrich, and Josef Hoffman all quit the traditional artist society of the Künstlerhaus to create an association called the Vienna Secession.

They encouraged a break away from rigid standards of art; as a result, artists from this school had various styles. But they did share one thing in common: a search for “inner higher truth.” Olbrich constructed the “golden cabbage” of leaves on top of the Secession building in Vienna, Austria. The gold is visible from afar, and meant to make it feel like a living thing. This harkens back to Art Nouveau’s emphasis on nature. It comes full circle with women and sensuality when you look at Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss (1907-1908).

Art Nouveau was largely dominant in Europe, but influenced furniture in the US. Louis Comfort Tiffany, eldest son of the founder of Tiffany & Co., used Art Nouveau influences to create stained glass. Through his company, they sold lamps, windows, ceramics, and jewelry. Under him, the style became more impressionist, but retained the original appearance of curvy nature.

Conclusion

To this day, people give Art Nouveau credit for changing how we think of design and production. Although it’s not at its height anymore, vendors still sell posters and antiques inspired by this eccentric era. The movement truly had a global impact, and one can see its impacts today in artwork featuring women, sensuality, and natural elements.

Originally published: November 11, 2019. Last update: October 13, 2024 by Elizabeth Berry