The Viennese Secession. Victoria Charles
imitation of furniture from the time of the French kings that all answered to the name of “Louis”, beginning with Louis XIII (1601–1643), followed by Louis XIV (1643–1715) to Louis XVI (1754–1793). They also were characterised by a general dismissal of the common shapes and pattern of the Gothic style and the Renaissance. In essence, this new movement stood for the acceptance of a new art that was grounded in the modern age and not dependant on previous influences for credibility.
Émile Gallé, Orchid Vase.
Glass with inserted ornaments and relief.
Private collection.
Louis Comfort Tiffany, Fluted Flower-Form Vase, between 1900 and 1905.
Lead glass.
Before 1789, the year that marked the end of the Ancien Régime, different styles usually developed with dependence on the monarchs; this new century wanted its own style. The desire for freedom from art and fashion dictated by rulers and sovereigns was not only perceivable in France but also beyond its borders. Many countries in Europe witnessed the slow awakening of proud nationalism that was rooted in the wish for literature and art that could be called their own. In short, this desire created an emergence of new understanding and appreciation of art that was not a servile copy of past glory and even less an imitation of foreign influences. In addition, contrary to previous decades, the need for applied art skyrocketed, mainly because this branch of art had nearly died out in the 19th century. In the past, everything was richly decorated: from home décor and dresses to weapons and simple household objects. Every object possessed its own ornaments and its own beauty and elegance. The 19th century, on the other hand, essentially looked for functionality rather than elegance. Beauty, elegance and ornaments became superfluous. This century, which began with a totalitarian indifference towards decorative beauty and elegance and ended so sadly in the drutal disregardof international human rights, was characterised by a paralysis of taste and aesthetics.
The return of the exiled concept of aesthetics was also at the heart of the Art Nouveau movement and its Austro-German manifestation, the Jugendstil. In France, people began to feel the absurdity of the situation and started to demand creativity, innovation and authenticity from cabinetmakers, decorators, stucco specialists, and even architects. This gave rise to a form of applied art that directly catered to the need of a new generation.
The World Fair of 1889
The multiple artistic trends that would lay the foundation for a new holistic style of art should manifest themselves on the Paris World Fair of 1889 first. The English exhibitors showcased their very own taste in furniture. The American silversmiths Graham and Augustus Tiffany decorated the products of their workshops with fascinating new ornaments while Louis Comfort Tiffany (1848–1933) showed the products of his revolutionary technique for the creation of stained glass.
An elite group of French artists exhibited individual pieces that also marked a progress in the spreading of the popularity of applied art in France. Émile Gallé (1846–1904) put furniture and coloured vases of his own design on display while Clément Massier (1845–1917), Albert Dammouse (1848–1926), and Auguste Delaherche (1857–1940) could convince the visitors of the world fair with mottled earthenware in hitherto rarely used brilliant colours and daring shapes. Henri Vever (1875–1932), The House of Boucheron, and Lucien Falize (1839–1897) presented intricately designed jewellery and silverware. The new trend towards elegant and capillary-thin ornaments was technically advanced to such a high degree that Falize even presented commonplace silverware with complex herbal designs.
The new ideas that were presented at the World Fair soon blossomed: everyone pushed towards a revolution in art. They sought liberation from the ideals and prejudice of the so-called ‘exalted’ art, and thus artists all over Europe began searching for new forms of artistic expression. In 1891, the Societé Nationale des Beaux-Arts created a new department for applied art, which was initially not held in very high esteem but at least managed to participate in the Salon with pewterware by Jules Desbois (1851–1935), Alexandre Charpentier (1856–1909), and Jean Baffier (1851–1920). In 1895, the rising popularity of applied art forced the Société des Artistes Français to accept the creation of a department solely dedicated to this newly revived branch for the annual Salon exhibitions. Later that year, the Hamburg-born Siegfried Bing (1838–1905), after returning from an assignment in the United States, opened a shop which he called “Art Nouveau”.
Henri Vever, Vase with Crickets.
Bronze and enamelled silver.
Exhibited in the Salon of the National Society of Fine Arts in 1904 in Paris. Robert Zehil collection.
Edward Burne-Jones and Kate Faulkner (design) and John Broadwood (production), Grand piano, 1883.
Oak, stained and decorated with gold and silver-gilt gesso, 266 × 140.5 × 45.7 cm.
Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
William Morris, Tapestry.
Émile Gallé, Vitrine with Artistic Vases.
Marquetry and glass.
Macklowe Gallery, New York.
Eugène Grasset, Salon des cent, 1894.
Print for a colour poster.
Victor and Gretha Arwas collection.
Walter Crane, Swans, wallpaper design, 1875.
Gouache and watercolour, 53.1 × 53 cm.
Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Art in England at the End of the Century
The rise of Art Nouveau was no less remarkable in other countries. In England, the popularity of venues such as the Liberty & Co. Department Store, the Merton-Abbey Workshops, and the Kelmscott-Press, which was managed by William Morris (1834–1896) and supplied with designs and ideas by the two painters Edward Burne-Jones (1833–1898) and Walter Crane (1845–1915), rose steadily. This trend even reached London’s “Grand Bazaar”, Maple & Co., where the customers were offered Art Nouveau while the house designs fell more and more out of favour.
The main representatives of this new movement of applied art were, already mentioned, William Morris and John Ruskin (1819–1900). John Ruskin – more of a predecessor to the Arts and Crafts Movement – was well known for being a staunch believer in art and beauty, almost to such a degree that his concept of art began resembling a religion on its own. Similarly, Morris was not simply an artisan but also a true artist and poet. His wallpapers and fabrics revolutionised home décor and their success enabled him to build a factory dedicated to the production of these products. Beside his artistic efforts he was also a politically active member of several socialist movements and parties.
Ruskin and Morris were, of course, not the only leading figures of the movement. There was also the architect Philip Speakman Webb (1831–1915) and the painter Walter Crane, who could rightfully be called the most creative interior decorator of his time, possessed as he was with an impeccable sense of elegance. They were a beacon for a whole generation of outstanding architects, designers, decorators and illustrators who flocked to their banner to realise their dreams of a new art together. Their artistic prowess is beyond comparison: like in a pantheistic dream they composed a fragile melody of ornaments that fused flora and fauna into a transcendent whole. This ornament-based art, with its filigreed patterns and arabesques, was reminiscent of the exuberant ornament-artists of the Renaissance. Not by accident either. The