Art & design styles: art nouveau

Explore the Best art Nouveau Books

Ever seen insect wings, or a flight of stairs, art nouveau was a style of asymmetrical detail in objects. How do you think it developed and what was this architecture?

What was Art Nouveau?

Art Nouveau was an ornamental style of art that flourished between 1890 and 1910 in Europe and the United States. It was characterised by a long organic line such as a spiral flight of stairs. It was employed in architecture, interior design, jewellery, glass design, posters and illustrations. There were many artists, who worked in the art nouveau style such as Charles Renie Mackintosh.

Books about Art Nouveau

An old fashioned and decorative style, but popular with many people. Here are some recommended books on art Nouveau:

1. Art Nouveau Architecture by Anne Anderson:   Distinguished by their lavish sculpture, metal work, or facades, art nouveau buildings clearly stand out. They are unique, audacious and inspirational.  They rejected historical styles, and architects and designers brought new kinds of architectural forms.  They used modern materials and innovative techniques for buildings, including iron, glass and ceramics.  This art movement transformed life on the eve of the twenty first century. This book explains how this unique style came into being, its rationale and that it is called by different names such as French Art Nouveau, German Jugendstil, Viennese Secession, Catalane Modernisme, Italian Liberty and Portuguese De Nova. It also covers the architects of this style: Victor Horta in Brussels, Hector Guimard in Paris, Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona, Otto Wagner in Barcelona, Odon Lechner in Budapest and others.  There are detailed descriptions of photographs of buildings in Brussels, Paris, Nancy, Darmstadt, Vienna, Budapest, Barcelona, Milan and Turin and many others.  It also covers decorative arts, stained glass, tiles and metal work that makes Art Nouveau so interesting and distinctive.
2. Creative Haven Art Nouveau Fashion Colouring Book:   What did well dressed women wear in the art nouveau period.  This colouring book presents a 31 full page illustration of women and girls in broad shouldered narrow waisted fashions in vogue from the 1880s to the early 1900s.  Graceful period motifs can be seen in the background of this book.  The pages are perforated and printed on one side only for easy removal and display. It is specifically designed for experienced colorists.  These artistic books offer a world of wonder away from the world of inspiration and fulfilment.
3. Alphonse Mucha: Alphonse Mucha is known largely for having brought art nouveau, when the poster of the legendary actress Sarah Bernardt became an icon of the movement. He went on to design hundreds of pieces in the field of decorative arts.  This book presents the entire array of Mucha’s contributions: poster and jewellery designs, but also a pavilion design for the 1900 fair in Bosnia Herzegovina. The book also contains his work on canvas with pastels, frescoes and 700 colour illustrations on Mucha’s style and inspiration. He transcended away from decorative arts and ventured into photography. Art enthusiasts will love his contributions to design and illustration.
4. Twentieth Century Art Nouveau Jewellery to Contemporary Design in Europe and the United States: This is the most diverse anthology on art nouveau jewellery supported by technical information and a concise, authoritative, and stimulating essay.  There is a Skira monograph dedicated to decorative arts following Italian art ceramics and twentieth century fabrics, which is an analysis of 350 jewellery pieces.  It includes jewellery designed in the Art Nouveau period by leading figures such as Lalique and Fouquet. This is an indispensable tool for the collector of jewellery.
5. Art Nouveau: Art, architecture and design in transformation: This is one of the best arts nouveau books and presents an overview of the international art Nouveau movement and the style for a new age and the context behind art nouveau, including new materials and technologies. It also explores the new ideas that inspired this movement.

Why choose Bookswagon?

You can find many arts related books on Art Nouveau such as William Morris and other famous artists and can learn such skills of asymmetry to design book cover for Art Nouveau books, it is important to know artists and design style of this theme for a basic cultural understanding of art on a global pedestal. So, buy books from Bookswagon to get amazing discounts and get your books in one week of placing order. Bookswagon has changed the lives of readers in the UAE, so, go ahead and change yours.