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Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is an internationally influential decorative and fine art movement that flourished approximately from 1890 to 1910, characterized by its deliberate rejection of historical revivalism in favor of a wholly original visual language drawn from natural forms.

Type: Concept Domain: Art Engineering Era: 1890 — 1910

Overview

Its defining aesthetic features — sinuous asymmetrical lines, elaborate floral and faunal motifs, and seamless integration of ornament with structure — manifested across architecture, interior design, typography, jewelry, glasswork, textiles, and poster art, with major practitioners including Victor Horta, Hector Guimard, Gustav Klimt, Alphonse Mucha, and Louis Comfort Tiffany. Simultaneously emerging in France, Belgium, Germany as Jugendstil, and Austria, it was among the first truly international modern art movements.

Why it matters

Art Nouveau's foundational challenge to the rigid hierarchy separating fine art from craft anticipated the total design philosophy later pursued by the Bauhaus and twentieth-century industrial design, pioneering the idea that everyday objects deserve the same artistic investment as painting or sculpture. Its influence shaped subsequent movements including Symbolism, early Modernism, and the later Art Deco style, leaving an enduring imprint on visual culture and design practice.

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