ART AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT

AND ART NOUVEAU

AR.JAIM G K
AGAINST THE MACHINE MOVEMENT

• ART and CRAFTS MOVEMENT:

• ART NOUVEAU: rest of the Europe

Hotel Tassel(1893) & Hotel Solvay(1894); Brussels; Victor Horta ,Casa

Batillo(1904) & Casa Mila(1910); Barcelona; Antonio Gaudi
• It stood for traditional craftsmanship using simple forms, and often used
medieval, romantic, or folk styles of decoration.
• Celebrated a return to handcrafted, artisan-made goods, including wood
furniture, tapestries, wallpaper, pottery and stained glass
• Nature motifs done simply
• Rectilinear forms
• It had a strong influence on the arts in Europe until it was displaced
by modernism in the 1930s (early 20th century), and its influence continued
among craft makers, designers, and town planners long afterwards.
• Although the principles and style on which it was based had been
developing in England for at least twenty years. It was inspired by the ideas
of architect Augustus Pugin, writer John Ruskin, and designer William Morris.
• Truth to materials, structure and function
• It was a reaction against a perceived decline in standards that the
reformers associated with machinery and factory production.

• Their critique was sharpened by the items they saw in the Great
Exhibition of 1851, which they considered to be excessively ornate,
artificial and ignorant of the qualities of the materials used.

• "the architect, the upholsterer, the paper-stainer, the weaver, the

calico-printer, and the potter" produce "in art novelty without beauty,
or beauty without intelligence.“

• pleaded for "more logic in the application of decoration.“

• Advocated flat and simplified natural motifs

• A proper awareness of the quality of materials used. "Utility must have precedence
over ornamentation.”

• Biomorphic design –nature inspired forms and shapes(flora and fauna)

• The arts and crafts movement was as much a movement of social reform as
design reform and its leading practitioners did not separate the two.

• The result was exquisitely made and decorated pieces that could only be afforded
by the very wealthy. Thus the idea of art for the people was lost, and only
relatively few craftsman could be employed making these fine pieces.
WILLIAM MORRIS
• Textile designer, poet, novelist, translator,
and socialist activist

• Came under the strong influence

of medievalism (5th to the 15th century)
(byzantine, Romanesque, gothic…. ) While
studying classics at oxford university

• After university he trained as an architect.

• He founded the society for the protection of

ancient buildings to campaign against the damage
caused by architectural restoration.
• involved in manufacture as well as design, the hallmark of the Arts and Crafts
movement

• argued that the separation of the intellectual act of design from the manual act of
physical creation was both socially and aesthetically damaging

• "without dignified, creative human occupation people became disconnected from

life“

• modeling his designs on medieval styles (Romanesque, Gothic, …. )

William Morris – “Trellis” wallpaper
In order to display the beauty of the materials and the work of the craftsman, some were deliberately left unfinished,
creating a rustic appearance.
• Bold forms
• Strong colors
• Patterns were based on flora and fauna
PHILIP WEBB
• Met william morris in 1856
• Started his own practice in 1858
• His favoured niche: comfortable, unpretentious country houses
• Also designed furniture, wallpaper, tapestries, and stained glass
• Particularly noted as the designer of red house at bexleyheath,
southeast london in 1859 for william morris, and – towards the end of
his career – the house standen
• Webb and morris formed an important part of the arts and crafts
movement, and founded the society for the protection of ancient
buildings in 1877.
PHILIP WEBB
• By the mid-nineteenth century, many people were troubled by the effects that the
industrial revolution was having on the environment, society at large, and workers
employed in factories, concerns that are echoed in today’s environmental
movement.
• Ruskin and others believed that mechanized factory production deprived workers
of the personal satisfaction and creativity involved in designing and making an
object entirely with one’s own hands.
• They also believed that people who bought these goods were surrounding
themselves with soulless objects that lacked aesthetic value.
• Thus, their domestic environments were missing the elements of spirituality and
refinement that produce healthy, well-rounded citizens.
• This was a particular concern in the age of the victorian “cult of domesticity,”
which emphasized the home as a morally uplifting respite from the negative
influences of city life.
• Handcrafting their works from beginning to end - this produced a sense of pride in
the worker and guaranteed quality products for the consumer.
• Webb and Morris formed an important part
of the arts and crafts movement, and
founded the society for the protection of
ancient buildings in 1877.

• "To put protection in the place of restoration,

to stave off decay by daily care, to prop a
perilous wall or mend a leaky roof by such
means as are obviously meant for support or
covering, and show no pretence of other art,
and otherwise to resist all tampering with
either the fabric or ornament of the building
as it stands ...“
SPAB
TO OPPOSE

• Destructive 'restoration‘ of ancient buildings then occurring in Victorian

England

• Returning functioning buildings to an idealised state from the distant past,

which often involved the removal of elements added in their later
development

• A practical and sympathetic approach to the repair and maintenance of old

building

• Campaigning to protect historic buildings at risk.

 Art Nouveau
Brussels – Paris – Barcelona
Jugendstil in German, Stile Liberty in Italian, Modernismo catalán in
• Also an Art movement which evolved as a response to Industrial Revolution.

• Greatly inspired by the Arts & Crafts movement of Britain.

• However, unlike Arts & Crafts, they welcomed the technological progress & embraced the aesthetic
possibilities of using new materials like Cast Iron in Art works.

• Aimed at modernizing design, seeking to escape the eclectic historical styles that were previously
popular.

• Decorations with abstract curves – express the malleable nature of metals – the varied compositions
. provided theme for mural paintings & mosaics

• Lines expressive of vitality – the power of plant growth

• Spread widely & easily throughout Europe – through photo illustrated art magazines & International
Exhibitions.
• Inspiration from both organic & geometric forms – elegant designs – united flowing
natural forms with more angular contours.

• Committed to abolishing the traditional hierarchy in arts, which viewed liberal arts
like painting & sculptures as superior to craft based decorative arts like furniture
design, silver smithing, etc, consequence being – a neglect of good craftsmanship.

• Sought to overturn that belief – “total works of art”

• Inspired buildings & interiors – every element partook in the same visual vocabulary

• Went out of style after the emergence of the Art – Deco in 1920s, however, revived
again in 1960s, and today seen as an important predecessor of Modernism.
Features:

• Asymmetrical shapes
• Curved glass
• Extensive use of arches & curved
forms
• Mosaics
• Stained glass
• Plant like embellishments
• Japanese motifs
• Whiplash curves
• Distinctive color choices

• Decorations in polychrome
ceramic tiles, unusually suggested
movement, no distinction
between the structure & the
ornament
• Extravagant, flowing – often with floral motifs

• The architects also designed the interiors & furnishings, down to the doorknobs &
carpets.

• Introduction of new materials like semi precious stones & opals

• Women – most popular theme of art nouveau posters – symbolized glamour,

modernity, beauty – often surrounded by flowers
Asymmetrical shapes

Casa Mila- Antonio Gaudi

CURVED GLASS
 MOSAICS

A piece of art or image made from the assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It is often used
in decorative art or as interior decoration.
At the Entrance – The Secession Building, Vienna
STAINED GLASS
JAPANESE MOTIFS
WHIPLASH CURVES
IRON WORKS
• Flat decorative patterns
• Hyperbolas & Parabolas in windows, arches, doors
• Decorative moldings “grow” into plant derived forms
• Sought to harmonies its forms, like all other design styles
• The text above the Paris Metro entrance uses the qualities of the rest of the iron
works in the structure
• An Important city of Art Nouveau buildings – Nancy, France
• Also advocated the use of very stylized organic forms as a source of inspiration.
• Unlike the artisans – oriented arts & crafts movement, art nouveau artists readily
used new materials, machined surfaces, and abstraction in the service of pure
design.
• They did not reject the use of machines unlike the arts & crafts movement.

Principal materials used in sculptures

• Stained glass
• Wrought iron
• Mosaic tiles
• Lime mortar
• Wallpapers
• Glazed stucco
• Ceramic
• Bricks
– Resulting in sculptural qualities even in architecture
 Art Nouveau in Paris
The center of the French art world, was granted many fine examples of art nouveau architecture and design
during this promising era
The Métropolitain
• Designed by Hector Guimard
• A beautiful glass building with art nouveau details designed into the staircase, the
metro sign and the shell-like shape of the glass
• An arched glass cover supported by detailed cast iron work
• Organic shapes - a typical from the art nouveau curved style
• Risks were taken.
• Extravagant
• Today, Guimard’s decorative wrought-iron apertures at the Paris metro station are
emblematic of art nouveau Paris.
• “Whiplash” of art nouveau lines
• Colorful with vibrant and intricate paintwork
• There are dozens of art nouveau metro signs in Paris, with a font typical of this
movement and floral lamp posts to the side.
- Some other prominent features seen
in Art Nouveau buildings in Paris –

• bison heads holding up balconies

• lizard door handles

• fox-headed fur collars

• fantastical fish wonderful curves

• shapes of young women and men

• Fine stone carvings

• Highly decorative caste iron details

• An infusion of movement and color
• Curvilinear structures with staggered balconies and undulating facades
• Structural materials used as décor
• Colorful new facades sprung up, dressed in sculpted stone and….
- and ceramic or covered in tile and accented with wrought iron and leaded glass.
Art Nouveau was short lived in Paris, but it changed the face of the city forever.
• The "castel béranger" (1894-1898)
by guimard
• It is one of guimard's master pieces
and his first building built in art
nouveau style.
• Use of multiple materials to lower the
price
Art Nouveau in Brussels
SOLVAY HOUSE -VICTOR HORTA
- Asymmetrical facades with a subtle play of volumes

- Baroque style inspirations

- Wrought iron detailing

TASSEL HOUSE - VICTOR HORTA
• A significant center,The tassel house is the first manifestation of the art nouveau
style in brussels.
• Horta applied his theories –
• The exposed metal structure,
• The integration of the decor with the structure,
• The fluidity of the spaces and
• The skylights in the middle of the building
- UNESCO world heritage site
- Combined top-quality materials with innovative techniques
Victor Horta House
The spectacular glass cupola of Victor Horta's Van Eetvelde House.
ART NOUVEAU IN BARCELONA
CASA BATLLO BY ANTONIO GAUDI
Sagrada Familia, by Antoni Gaudi
Casa mila
 Furniture
• Round, Sinuous & Elegant lines
• Wood – combined with glass & metal
• Tapestries & stylish floral patterns
• Cabinets – many drawers & painted
glasses
Drawbacks
• Owner of the house could not change the furniture or add pieces in a
different style without disrupting the entire effect of the room.

• So on, art nouveau architecture went out of style soon, the style of furniture
also largely disappeared.