MA L1 - Art Nouveau

which ideas, which concepts instigated the new forms?

Why did architects decide one specific form? How did they motivate it? What ideas were in the background that lead to proposing this new style. 

One of the initial mouvements of the 19-20th century. 

This is the first time people saw time and epoqueas something that ends and new beginnings. Artists and architects embraced this idea by creating new forms of art (This was the art nouveau-New Art). There was a common feeling that many new things were starting, and artists were inspired to respond to this change.

In the 19th century, the concept of modernity emerged, which consisted of looking back at history and the past to create something entirely new (like infrastructure and public spaces such as schools, libraries, and ports). This period was marked by modernization driven by new experiences and global interactions.

The 19th-century evolutionary concept of historical thinking emphasized that history progresses in a linear fashion. It suggests that societies, cultures, and ideas develop continuously over time.

New experiences were shaped by changes in technology, the economy, and society. These changes included advancements in technology that improved how things were made, shifts in the economy that affected jobs and trade, and changes in social structures that influenced how people interacted with one another.

New experiences included global encounters, where people from different cultures and countries interacted and exchanged ideas, goods, and traditions.

During the 19th/early 20th century, there was a change in how people regarded the concept of modernization and modernity. 

Modernity was no longer viewed as a gradual evolution (no longer evolutionary development). People stopped seeking historical evidence (break from the past). Instead, they aimed to create something entirely new and focused on revolutionary ideas rather than evolutionary ones.

So why is there a complete split from the past in architecture?

So why is there a complete split from the past in architecture?

1. Because always referring to past architecture means deadlock (def: a situation in which people cannot agree and no progress can be made).

This new style of architecture resulted from the changing mindset of the 19th century. While architects once referred to historical styles (of the past) when developing their designs, it is now seen as a limitation (deadlock!). This focus on the past is thought to hinder architects from creating new styles and develop their own architectural language.

So why is there a complete split from the past in architecture?

2. Because the fixed rules that were regulating architecture were also seen as a deadlock. 

(Architecture schools often provide students with a set of rules that would restrict their ability to create revolutionary designs.)

So why is there a complete split from the past in architecture?

3. Because there is a new from of disgust towards bombastic ornament in academic architecture.

The end of 19th century was a epoque of revolution on a global scale – indicators of radical change:

- Global energy consumption shifted, with mineral materials like coal and oil surpassing biomass sources such as wood.

- Industrialization became global, spreading to countries like Russia, China, India, and South Africa.

- The "Second Industrial Revolution" introduced innovations like electric engines, electric lights, automobiles, machine guns, radio broadcasting, cinema, and X-rays.

- Corporate capitalism began to emerge as a dominant economic system.

- Global trade increased with the use of steamships and telegraph cables connecting Europe to North America, while migration from Europe and Asia to America also rose.

- This period also saw significant turning points in philosophy, with thinkers like Nietzsche, and in psychology, with figures like Freud.

There were multiple art nouveau hubs spread all over Europe. Note that there are big cities (Paris, Barcelona, Munich, Vienna, Brussels), but also smaller ones in the periphery (like Glasgow and Nancy). 

This was a movement that spread really quickly with precise dates.

New techniques allowed for the transmission of ideas. Techniques that included journals and new printing techniques that allow for more illustrations.

The transmission of ideas was facilitated by journals and advancements in printing techniques.

The theme of nature was a key reference in the Art Nouveau movement. Artists drew inspiration from natural forms, creating new shapes inspired by nature, including flowing clothing and hair. They emphasized harmonious colors, particularly shades of green, and represented forms and shapes in a specific, balanced way. It is a two dimensional representation.

In many artworks, women and trees exist on the same plane, creating a flat appearance with little depth. This harmonic integration of elements highlights the idea that the image reflects the artistic mind

The Art Nouveau movement was launched by Victor Horta (1861–1947). 

He received his architectural training in the Beaux-Arts style at the local academy in his birthplace, Ghent. For the first ten years of his career, he worked on projects in a neoclassical style. In 1892, Horta created his first Art Nouveau design: the Hôtel Tassel in Brussels, followed by a series of Art Nouveau houses for the Belgian professional elite. He also embraced socialist ideals, exemplified by his design of the Maison du Peuple in Brussels between 1896 and 1899.

The design isn't strikingly modern and still follows a classical scheme, featuring a central main door and a basement. However, there are elements that suggest something unique. The windows are much larger, the structure is intelligently designed, and there’s a significant opening in the center.

The interiors feature a completely new design, characterized by open, flowing spaces. The entire interior is based on a seamless integration of ornamentation in this new style.

The ornamentation consists of flowing, organic forms that draw inspiration from nature rather than history. 

Additionally, the use of exposed iron structural elements reflects a modern industrial material. This combination of iron and ornamentation creates a unique and harmonious design.

Conceptions of ornamentation are correspond closely to the spatial configuration and function. 

In a centralized space, the design might include spiral patterns, while the floor of the upper level could feature "waves" that promote movement and flow throughout the area.

Ornament merges with the object, taking on a new meaning that is closely related to the artist. In this way, the object itself becomes an ornament.

There is an interest in the form of elements, where the space takes on an aesthetic quality tied to ornamentation and decoration.

Geometric lines and structural beams cut through the spiral design of the floor. Structural elements are visible. The ornamentation is more prominent than the beams, extending beyond them. The floor's design remains cohesive and is not overshadowed by the beams.

The ornamentation follows the natural curve of the ceiling, almost defining the curvature of the ceiling.

The aesthetic expression involves an inherent force, growth, and dynamics that animate the material structure. 

Mirrors are used to virtually extend space, creating an imaginary environment that activates spatial imagination.

They help activate spatial imagination, allowing people to perceive and experience the space in new and dynamic ways.

Henry van de Velde (1863–1957)

He studied painting at the Academy in Antwerp and Paris. From 1892 onwards, he focused on object design, interior design, and architecture, helping to launch the decorative arts movement. In 1901, he became an artistic consultant for industry and design for the Duke of Sachsen-Weimar. From 1902 to 1906, he was involved in the foundation and construction of the joined Weimar schools of fine arts and applied arts, and he became their director in 1906. In 1907, he co-founded the Werkbund. Later, in 1926, he established the Institute des Arts Décoratifs de la Chambre in Brussels, where he served as director until 1935.

Very important as a predecessor of modern architecture. Very important in the movement because he published important theoretical texts. 

The main idea of the quote is that ornamentation enhances and completes architectural form by serving a functional role in structuring the design, rather than merely decorating it. The relationship between structural ornament and the form of surfaces should be so closely intertwined that the ornament appears to have shaped the form itself.

He studied art nouveau, what it is and what it meant. He also wrote about how to merge object and ornaments.  

Ornament completes form. Form is not complete if there is no ornament.

Ornament comes first and it outlines the dynamics of the visuals. It determines the form of an interior space. 

Ornamentation is justified by its closeness to nature. 

For example this chain, the structure forms of the chair are determined by the ornamentation. 

He applies this principle to whole interiors by unifying formal principles, which allows the designer to overcome he isolated objects. The individual object becomes part of a complete form, loses its identity as an individual object. All objects are connected and related to the entire space (for example the chair looks as if it is resting against the wall, the form is designed specifically to merge the two objects). This causes the objects to appear animated, like they are breathing. The arch of bookshelf merges with the ornaments of the wall. 

In this approach, it is the ornamentation and form that shapes the architecture, rather than the architecture dictating the furniture design.

The furniture feels like it can breathe, it's alive. 

In a literal sense, there is an ambition to let things breathe freeling, specifically women. The design of new kinds of dresses that allowed women to breathe comfortably. 

Flowing dresses created a new sense of comfort for women, allowing their bodies to move more naturally. They promote a feeling of freedom and enable a more relaxed, unrestricted form of expression.

There is the ambition to allow forms to live in freedom. 

- The lesson stopped here - 

Héctor Guimard (1867–1942)

Héctor Guimard (1867–1942) studied at the École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1882 to 1890. In 1891, he became an assistant professor of descriptive geometry, shadow, and perspective drawings at the École des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. His visit to Horta’s Hôtel Tassel in 1894 was a major inspiration for him. Around 1900, he received a large number of private commissions and later designed the entrances to the Paris Métro starting in 1900.

"Artistic Cast Iron, Guimard Style"

Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926)

In 1878, he received his diploma from the Barcelona Higher School of Architecture. From the 1880s onwards, his main client was the Catalan industrialist Eusebi Güell, for whom he designed wine cellars, pavilions, a palace, a park, and the church and crypt at Colònia Güell. In 1883, he received the commission for the Sagrada Familia. After 1900, he gained ever-increasing fame, leading to a large number of public and private commissions, primarily in Barcelona.

The features of the building make it appear as a living being, with railings resembling masks, columns that look like bones, and windows that seem to swell or shout.

The bones, with "flexible" joints, support the windows.

"dragon roof"

The structure imitates natural forms, such as trees and spider webs.