Art Nouveau << noo VOH >> was a decorative style of design that flourished from the 1890’s until about 1910. Art Nouveau means New Art in French. It comes from the name of a Paris art gallery, Maison de l’Art Nouveau, which exhibited works created in this style of design.
Art Nouveau was an ornate style, characterized by long, flowing lines and wavelike contours often influenced by forms in nature. The style developed in part as a protest against the mass production of the industrial age. It was used mainly for interior decoration and in the design of glassware, jewelry, and other ornamental objects. Some artists used the Art Nouveau style for such graphic-design works as book illustrations and posters.
The drawings of the English artist Aubrey Beardsley and the posters of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec of France are outstanding examples of Art Nouveau graphic design. Other leading figures in the Art Nouveau movement included Emile Galle of France and Louis Comfort Tiffany of the United States, both of whom created colorful glassware. Such architects as Antoni Gaudi of Spain and Victor Horta of Belgium also incorporated elements of the style in their work.
