Harmonizing the Aesthetic Movement + Art Nouveau Styles
The Aesthetic Movement, which flourished in Great Britain during the 1870s and 1880s, was a reaction against the ugliness of objects produced by the Industrial Revolution, while Art Nouveau, a movement that bourgeoned in France from 1890 to 1910, happily embraced industrialization. Although rooted in nearly opposite ideals, the Aesthetic Movement in Art Nouveau have plenty of design principles in common. An art dealer living in New York City, has hired my firm to design a living room that embraces design elements and principles from the Aesthetic Movement and Art Nouveau style, both periods that my client greatly admires. In the course of this essay, I will examine the ideals of the Aesthetic Movement and Art Nouveau, examine the lives and works of James Abbott McNeill Whistler and Hector Guimard, and argue why the design of this living room successfully incorporates ideals from both art movements. The living room designed, clearly pulls inspiration from designer, James Abbott McNeill Whistler of the Aesthetic Movement, and Hector Guimard from the Art Nouveau Style, representing the core idea of art for art’s sake of the Aesthetic Movement, while also pulling inspiration from nature, and embracing asymmetrical forms, which were important aspects of the Art Nouveau period.
The centerpiece of the living room I designed, is the Gracie wallpaper panels that feature branches, birds and butterflies rendered in soft, muted tones. The wallpaper panels are framed in giltwood faux bamboo, a design element highly reminiscent of the Aesthetic Movement. Moreover, it was commonplace for the time to feature, flat, abstracted or stylized patterned wallpapers with tripartite divisions. Contrastingly, the sofa designed by Vladimir Kagan recalls forms rendered in Guimard’s intricate, serpentine-like ironwork; the design clearly influenced from nature, taking on organic, asymmetrical forms. The contemporary armchair by Michael Felix, similarly has a curved shape and embraces industrialization in its steel legs. The coffee table is made of solid ebony and dates back to 1860. The furniture item was designed by Bruce Talbot and possibly made by the furniture makers, Jackson and Graham. This handmade desk comes from the Aesthetic Movement and has Japanese influences in its simple form, linear shape and minimal ornamentation. The coffee table is in juxtaposition with the contemporary, flowing lines of the sofa and armchair. The last piece of furniture in the room, is the pedestal side table, dating to 1910 and designed by Joseph Hoffmann and Otto Prutscher, and manufactured by Thonet. The stunning table with stained wood, marble, brass and iron represent a paired down version of the Art Nouveau style. And similar to all other items in the room, includes popular colors of the Aesthetic Movement that comprise of gold, green, brown, and tan.
The backdrop of the living room is the Farrow and Ball paint color, Emerald Green. A hue popular of both the Aesthetic Movement and Art Nouveau. The antique Persian rug is a nice harmony of Art Nouveau, due to the movement’s fascination with Islamic culture, and the Aesthetic Movement, because of the peacock blue color. The gold pendant light fixture designed by Aldof Loos, draws inspiration from traditional Japanese fixtures and is rendered in colors of the Aesthetic Movement. Although the Japanese influence and linear planes in the shade are largely reminiscent of the Aesthetic Movement, its curved base it hangs from and the brass material used, bring to mind designs of Art Nouveau. The last two objects in the room are Japanese porcelain vessels. The white ceramic vase, designed by Hasegawa Isamu, represents the Aesthetic fascination of Japanese design, while also taking on fluid, natural forms similar to those created by Guimard (“Antique and Modern Furniture”). Lastly, the antique Japanese porcelain plate draws direct inspiration from the Chinese ceramic collection in Leyland’s Peacock Room.
Through the synopsis of the Aesthetic Movement, James Abbott McNeill’s guiding principles, Art Nouveau and the design fundamentals of Hector Guimard, I was able to outline a foundation for the style in the living room I designed for my client. The color scheme harmonizes the vibrant hues popular in the Aesthetic Movement and the natural colors of Art Nouveau. Each object draws from either linear or organic forms and by themselves each act as objects of art; a key concept of the Aesthetic Movement. Therefore, the living room I designed, artfully draws inspiration from the ideals of the Aesthetic Movement and of Art Nouveau, with a contemporary, eclectic take on the styles and without directly mimicking designs from either period.
History of Environmental arts III // UCLA Extension Interior Architecture Spring 2020