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The Art Nouveau movement began during the early 19th century around 1890 until 1910 and swept across Europe and The United States. The recent influences from Japanese culture contributed to this artistic period, but mostly art nouveau was a creative expansion from the usual historical art that was previously accepted. During this period artists were collaborating and experimenting with different materials and techniques, it was painting, glass work, illustration, jewellery, and architecture to name a few. Artists were inspired to visually display work that was crafted from a more dream like world of their imagination by combining nature and religion, real life forms and geometric by using long lines that flowed for the viewers eyes in an elegant and stylish manner. Over Europe Art Nouveau was distinctly influential however I believe it was grasped so beautifully from the Architecture that was created from this time especially in Vienna, Glasgow, Nancy and Madrid, the artists used the city and skyline as their own canvas with their own influence and expression for all to see. In Vienna major artists transformed Vienna into an architectural metropolis. Otto Wagner and Joseph Marie Olbrich were 2 of the main artists leading Vienna into the Art Nouveau movement. Architects were inspired to create buildings that were structurally bold and beautifully symmetrical, adorned in lavish ornamental decorations such as marble, gilding, bold colours and florally embellished. Otto Wagner was dominating the Art Nouveau movement in Vienna with his work being unmissable around the city. He designed residential buildings such as the famous Linke Weinzeile NO.38 that is lavishly decorated in gold floral designs on sleek and fresh walls to give focus entirely to the beauty of the building. Wagner also designed Church’s, railways stations and his own villas. Otto Wagner employed Joseph Marie Olbrich in 1893 and was incredibly influential in Vienna’s art movement. In 1897 The Vienna Secession was founded by Olbrich, Gustav Klimt, Josef Hoffman and Koloman Moser. This artistic collaboration resulted in a grand building called The Secession Hall, this was created and designed by Olbrich and was Europes first ever building holy dedicated to modern art, this was a pivotal moment in the world of art and the display of the building sets it apart from the usual architecture that had been around for years before, clearly stating a change and a step forward was happening during this period in time. Artists and creators such as Olbrich and Wagner produced outstanding beauty for people to capture in their everyday lives in Vienna, this art movement was not just for galleries. Vienna
Nancy in France was another European city that was heavily influenced during the Art Nouveau period the 19th century. A group of artists and designers created Ecole de Nancy or Nancy Art school during the art nouveau movement. These artists grew inspiration from nature and plant forms with the mix of science created art and architecture. Nancy was renowned for its art and design which resulted from art nouveau. Architects created Nancy into an abundance of decorative displays which was influenced by the school of art. Emile Galle was a talented glass artist who helped combine the art world and architectural to collaborate Art Nouveau. Buildings in Nancy were designed with floral patterns and decoration paired with smooth curves, the architecture was less structural and cornered and instead archways and window frames consisted of a looser style with rounded lines. The city of Nancy was vastly impacted by the creation of artwork, design and architecture during the Art Nouveau period in France the area was becoming more populated and even challenged Paris for it’s cultural and artistic fame. Other cities such as Glasgow and Vienna’s architecture were more urban whereas Nancy’s was not, the city was relishing in beauty and design. Tactically large retail stores were commercially using architecture from Art Nouveau to stand out and gain commercial success just from the appearance of buildings. As with any art movement, things are always moving forward, and Art Nouveau died out during the early 1900’s however Nancy carried on creating for another 10 years after it had faded throughout Europe until World War 1 began.
Art Nouveau was strong architecturally which makes it very recognisable and at a larger scale however as well as building design and decoration it was seen in many different areas. Art Nouveau was about Artists experimenting from using different materials to techniques but of a wider range than usual, influence was found through Graphic Design, paintings, design, architecture, and craft art. Glasgow was uncommonly expected to be on the list of places that had a big hit through this time. Again, another group of like minded artists who revolutionised the old Victorian ways of the art world into the modern era. Glasgow’s art nouveau was slightly different to the romantic architecture in Nancy and luxurious buildings in Vienna, the designs in Glasgow consisted of smooth textures and sweeping lines usually finished with an ironmongery design of floral and natural forms above window frames and doorways. I believe the artistry throughout Glasgow are more in keeping with the traditional gothic architecture, whereas in Vienna buildings such as the Succession are made to stand out, to be noticed. A charming and strong example of art nouveau in Glasgow can be found in the Willow Tearooms which was designed inside and out by Charles Rennie Macintosh who was a well-known artist and designer and part of ‘The Four’ a group of designers and artists who helped shape Glasgow’s visual arts as it is today. He brought Glasgow into the world of modern art with his take on art nouveau and was highly successful throughout this movement and designed several popular buildings. The Willow tearooms he designed boasts tall flowing lines that represent a modern aspect in the furniture and with beautifully decorated glass. His work was a much more understated type of Art Nouveau compared to Madrid and Vienna where the buildings are loud and show themselves off however the architectural designs created in Glasgow were still of a different style at the time but to our eyes now seem very modern as the lines made are sleek with crisp and delicate detail. Glasgow  Lastly Madrid was also made popular from the architecture that was created during the early 19th century. Antoni Gaudi is one of the most well known and influential artists from this time. His reputation and interpretation of the Art Nouveau period is most famed for his extremely elaborate designs. I believe out of all these cities the art nouveau movement was the boldest and striking in Barcelona and Madrid from Gaudi’s work. His representation of natural forms coinciding with religious aspects of his own beliefs added with the technical and scientific engineering were ingenious. His work rivalled all and had influences from traditional Catalan style, gothic, French Avant Garde and Oriental. He designed buildings with fluid forms and bold eccentric colours and patterns. Sadly, Gaudi’s work remains unfinished such as Santa Coloma de Cervelló and the iconic Sagrada Familia, yet they are still jaw droppingly beautiful and ornate, his masterpieces and design innovation lead this revolution of modern art. Madrid 
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 During the late 19th century into the 20th century Artists over Europe and to the West of the world were inspired to create artwork that was heavily influenced by the Japanese culture and traditional artists techniques. This period of art was called Japonisme and became very popular due to the trade restrictions with Japan being lifted in 1858, this therefore created a glimpse into this mysterious and unfamiliar part of the world. Gustav Klimt’s ‘Lady with the Fan’ (1918) has a strong oriental atmosphere when viewed, this is also applicable to his other pieces such as ‘The Kiss’ (1908). Lady with the fan emits the traditional properties of Japanese wood block prints and scroll prints. The distinguishing colours of bold yellows and gold can be found in Japanese artwork dating from years beforehand in scrolls where illustrations were painted on silk, this gives the traditional Japanese artwork it’s glowing foreground which is distinctively bold in this particular piece of Klimt’s work and also in many other works such as The Kiss and Portrait Of Eugenia Primavesi. Japonisme was greatly influential on the Austrian Artist. The composition and layout of Gustav Klimt’s ‘Lady’ is very similar to way female courtesans and geishas were portrayed. An example of the Japanese style I believe holds similarity and influence is by Tsukioka Settei’s hanging scroll ‘Reading by Lantern Light’ (1776-1786). I believe Klimt was recreating the same outlook that the beauty of a Geisha had, replicating the bold and elegant portrayal of these women in his own paintings, when their livelihood was much less than these beautiful pictures would suggest. The single women are both adorned in the beautifully designed kimonos which grasp the viewers eyes in both paintings. The ‘Lady with the fan’ holds strong resemblances of the pale faced geisha’s with the dark hair pinned above the neckline and rose blushed cheeks, creating a strong contrast between the pale faced beauty and the glowing background it’s impossible to miss the sexual suggestiveness of the Lady’s bare shoulder which evokes the hidden Japanese influence of a Geisha’s true prowess. The background of Klimt’s work is beautifully filled with Lotus’s and birds which resemble either a brightly coloured peacock or peafowl, these birds are associated in Japan as symbolism of religion, success and prosperity whilst traditionally Lotus Flowers in Japan are connected through Buddhist symbolism as being enchanting and pure of the mind, body and speech. Another Artist who was heavily influenced by the Japanese culture was Van Gogh. He created many pieces of work during the 19th century in France after collecting Japanese wood block prints and studying their style, composition and structure he then started to incorporate these skills and influences into his own work. Van Gogh even went to re create artwork that had already been done but in his own style, such as ‘Bridge in the rain’ 1887. The artist put his own painting style to use on the original ‘Sudden shower over Shin-Ohashi’ by Utagawa Hiroshigo (1857), this piece of work see’s him create more depth and atmosphere by using dark tones to produce a deeper contrast and adds an additional border of Japanese scripture. Van Gogh took a strong interest and admiration for the Japanese style and culture and from this produced several great pieces. During this time though the early 20th century was not just the Japonisme era, some artists were not influenced by this new phase of inspiration. The world was starting to open up, countries being explored, and new cultures being discovered which other artists took great inspiration from such as Picasso and his African collection which contained tribal masks and quite disturbing portraits but again heavily influenced by different cultures. Paul Gaugin on his exile to Tahiti created beautiful bold and exotic paintings of the local women and Umberto Boccioni was producing structured and cubist paintings such as ‘States of mind: I The Farewells’. Even though Japonisme was a change in the world of art in the 19th/20th century, it is never the only inspiration that graces artists during this time as Art is constantly moving forward and evolving.
   The Evolution of Women’s Sports Attire Brief introduction of Women’s sporting fashion In the late 1800’s women were becoming more interested in physical exercise; however, it was not hard pushing, sweat inducing exertion as we know today. Rather it was more of a social and leisurely event, especially for the ladies of the upper class who played croque and tennis, whereas sports such as cycling, and swimming were becoming more popular for the ladies of this generation. The real milestone in history regarding women’s sports was when women could compete in the Olympic Games from 1900. Times were finally moving forward, except for when you notice the fashion and attire that women had to compete in. Dresswear commonly consisted of a full-length skirt or dress, followed by long sleeves on a blouse or a dress and a high collar- how on earth did they do this?! That’s not even taking into consideration the heeled shoes! Thankfully times have changed drastically, sportswear for women has evolved from being modest and impractical to practical and now a fashion statement. Nowadays the increasing desire to exercise and look after our bodies has finally become the new trend. With a demand for not only practical and reliable active wear on the market but also an ongoing battle between brands to create sporting wear that is seen now as high-end fashion, I am all for it. What makes you feel even better when you are exercising? Knowing that you’re wearing a well-known brand or matching sets, funky patterns or colours the list is endless for women’s choices of what we can wear to exercise in or even wear out to the shops or dinner- stylish leisure wear is the new little black dress. I have gone a little off topic however I found it very interesting researching this history and I didn’t fancy doing a full timeline, so lower down I have featured some pictures of the evolution of women’s sporting attire. My Choice of Clothing: Innov8 Winter Women’s Running Tight I paid £79.99 - RRP £99.99 Key Features
One of the biggest downsides to these leggings were the fact they are not sustainably made. I researched in great lengths into the materials and manufacturing. Ethically speaking the brand is great with a factory in China offering the local area employment and paying above the average salary, no under 18’s are employed and they are also recycling a number of materials such as paper, water, rubber and more. The downside is these leggings are made from 5 different materials; Polyamide, Elastane, Polyester, Polyurethane and TPU Membrane (Thermoplastic Polyurethane Membrane) Only 2 of which are sustainable and do not a harm the environment, these are TPU and Polyurethane. The rest of the materials used to make these leggings are not sustainable, Elastane cannot be recycled. In order to make polyester a great deal of fossil fuels such as coal are used and produce harsh chemicals which can cause serious environmental damage if the harsh chemicals used are leaked into water or untreated air. Polyamide is the least sustainable, a large amount of fossil fuels are used alongside heat and pressure to produce this fabric the worst part is it causes more damage than green house gases from Nitrous Oxide which is 310 times more potent than CO2. After researching into the materials, it left me quite shocked that I was unaware of how much damage the process of creating Polyester and Nylon was doing to the planet, materials which majority of clothing are made from. I could go on but it’s straight forward to understand. Even though I do really like these leggings it has now made me rethink about buying clothes without researching the materials they are made from and instead finding a company that offers the same high quality product but with a more sustainable process even with a higher price tag. |
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