In todays class we focused on the Revolution of change in design. The beginning of industrial textile manufacturing and machine tool production. This caused conflict in the art community and eventually caused chaos.
Japonism was first seen in the early 1870s and was invented by Philippe Burty. In 1850s Japan opened up for business the french adored Japanese artwork as they hadn’t been able to trade since the 1600. Japonism threatened the western art trade as it was much more colourful, stylised and realism of Japanese woodblocks.
Van Gogh studied impressionism and fell in love with Japanese wood cut prints.He went as far as decoration his home with them. He took inspiration from the colourful bold yet delicate lines the Japanese style portrayed.
It was first seen in the Victorian period in the United kingdom, As industrial power grew so did the worries of artists and craftsmen who felt like their trade was being destroyed by machinery. Arts & Crafts covered a wide range of subjects from interior design, buildings and even jewellery. The arts and crafts movement was influenced greatly by medieval artwork. It symbolises nature and was loved in the United States and Europe in the 19th century.
William Morris was a huge inspiration for many people, He symbolised artisanship in a ever growing modern world. William was known for creating tapestries which came from his studies in medieval art. He often added in images and text and was the first artist to ponder in this art style.
Art Nouveau is a movement that was created in the 1890s which can be seen today as still thrives on in the art and design community. It was created at a time were technology developing at a fast pace. Instead of completely rejecting industrialisation Art Nouveau accepted it and merged tradition with modernism. William Morris who I touched on above the the arts & crafts movement is known to one of the founders of the Art Nouveau movement. The style is majestic and consists of swirls, swopping plants and flowers. It was bright, outrageous, bold and certainly makes a statement. It made traditional classic design look outdated. Art Nouveau is used in many different forms such as glass work, paintings, sculptures and ceramics. It is clear to see that Art Nouveau has similarities the Arts & Craft movement and Japonism, all have a focus on nature and thick or thin outlines around the artwork. All of the above movements are extremely brightly coloured and brought life back into a dying trade.
The Glasgow school of art was a place were talented artists known as ‘the four’ worked with Charles Rennie Mackintosh in Glasgow. The school is known for its Art Nouveau architecture.
The Glasgow four were known as:
As individuals they all had something to offer and used different media such as architecture, painting, glass work and furniture. They invented a Art Nouveau style that involved curved vertical lines and less elaboration. Charles Rennie Mackintosh is still recognised today for creating glass patterns from bold geometric roses or leaves.
I really enjoyed todays class as I love learning about unique art styles. My favourite from what we covered today would have to be Art Nouveau as I find it beautiful, My least favourite style would have to be Arts & Crafts movement, I struggled to find it interesting and I don’t particularly find the medieval design attractive.