Art Nouveau

           Art Nouveau, which means “new art,” was very popular from the 1880s to around 1914. Art Nouveau influenced many aspects of life including architecture, applied arts, and illustration. It evolved from historicism that dominated design of the 19th century and formed a connection between Victorian clutter and modernism.

Art Nouveau was influenced by Ukiyo-e, which means “pictures of the floating world.” This was a period in Japanese art when woodblock prints, and paintings were popular. It mixed the traditional picture scrolls with decorative arts. Katsushika Hokusai was one of the more famous artists of the Ukiyo-e time period. He produced an estimated 35,000 works for several different mediums. Hokusai captured album prints, historical events, landscapes, and social behaviors. He began with “yellow-backs,” which are booklets. Hokusai created over 270 yellow-backs in his lifetime (katshushikahokusai.org).

"The Great Wave at Kanagawa" Katsushika Hokusai. 1831-1833

Source: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/JP1847

           Hokusai’s most famous piece, created when he was in his seventies, was Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji created out of woodblocks. The process to create art from woodblocks includes cutting away where the white, or negative space is in the photo to make a template for the picture. Water based inks are used to make blends, which has to be quickly applied to the woodblock so that they do not dry before the woodblock is pressed to the paper. Artists could not see the entire design until the colors were printed on the page. This process takes a lot of skill so that everything looks just right (Department of Asian Art).

Another artist who used the woodblock system was Ando Hiroshige. This is the man who inspired European impressionists with the way he used white space, and his landscapes. Hiroshige related to ordinary people, which made his art more realistic (Department of Asian Art).

“One Hundred Famous Views From Edo” Ando Hiroshige 1857

source: http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/hiroshige/plum.jpg

Japanese calligraphy and silhouettes influenced Europeans. Books were developed to teach the Europeans about the Japanese techniques. It is interesting to look at two pictures side by side and see the lines, and abstract shapes. Monet was one of the impressionists that was intrigued by the woodblock prints. A Japanese bridge in his garden inspired Monet. This occupied his paintings for 20 years; he painted it at different times of day because of the beauty of the pond (Gontar).

“Water lilies and Japanese Bridge” Claude Monet 1890

Source: http://www.thecultureconcept.com/circle/monet-pisarro-sisley-renoir-creating-first-impressions

There was an addition of Japanese ornaments to Art Nouveau. In earlier pieces, ornaments were just a decorative addition to the artwork, for example, on a building. Now in Art Nouveau, everything evolved around and from the ornament uniting embellishment with structure and function, which energized the design process.  “The art in Europe turned away from realism toward expressionism and modern art” (Himes). Artists like Monet and Van Gogh started to use a more “oriental art.”

            All of these artists had an interesting line and space that were inspired by Japanese art. I think it is very interesting that as technology improved, the movement of art followed. The art changed, in my opinion, for the better. Incorporating interesting and unexpected lines with novel spaces to accent the paintings makes them appealing. The era of Art Nouveau helped evolve art and how one perceived the world. It was creative and forward thinking. Monet embraced it as he started to paint details less precise and more with a fog-like presentation, termed impressionism, which I think gives them an elegant and peaceful touch. This impressionistic movement in Monet’s works made him one of the most influential artists of all time. Art was beginning to be created for the ordinary person not only the rich. This accessibility is key to an artist’s influence on culture and society and brings more culture to people to brighten their lives.

Citations:

           Department of Asian Art. "Woodblock Prints in the Ukiyo-e Style". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000. Web. 02 Feb.2014. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ukiy/hd_ukiy.htm 

           Gontar, Cybele. "Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Art Nouveau. Web. 02 Feb. 2014. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/artn/hd_artn.htm

           Himes, Sharon. "Influence of Japanese Art by Sharon Himes : Art History on the Art Cafe Network." Influence of Japanese Art by Sharon Himes : Art History on the Art Cafe Network. Web. 02 Feb. 2014. http://www.artcafe.net/ah/japan/index.html

           "Katsushika Hokusai Biography." Katsushika Hokusai Biography. Web. 02 Feb. 2014.

http://www.katsushikahokusai.org/biography.html