This episode broadly covers the Art Nouveau movement, which had an outsized impact on the illustration field in the early 20th century and beyond.
Art Nouveau was a stylistic movement in the late nineteenth century characterized by highly ornate and decorated designs. Inspired by Japanese woodblock prints, Celtic manuscripts, The Arts and Crafts Movement, and the development of the lithograph, Art Nouveau, or New Art, was applied to everything from architecture to biscuit tins.
Though widely applied, posters that make up a great part of Art Nouveau history.The development of lithography meant posters could be large illustrations filled with bright colors and elaborate designs, even though they were advertisements for anything from events to consumer products. While Paris, France was Art Nouveau’s epicenter, it spread to England and eventually the United States. Along the way, several illustrators made a name for themselves and were pivotal to Art Nouveau’s popularity. Some of their posters were, and still are, collected as fine art.
REFERENCES
Cramsie, P. (2010). The Story of Graphic Design: From the Invention of Writing to the Birth of Digital Design. Abrams. 9780810972926
Eskilson, S.F. (2012). Graphic Design: A New History (2nd ed.). Laurence King Publishing. 9780300172607
Müller, J. (2017). The History of Graphic Design: Vol. 1 1890-1959. Taschen. 9783836563079
Selz, P., & Constantine, M. (1960). Art Nouveau: Art and Design at the Turn of the Century. The Museum of Modern Art. 0405015739
Duncan, A. (1994). Art Nouveau: World of Art. Thames & Hudson Inc. 0500202737
This is Incomplete Design History: The Illustration Files, a podcast that explores overlooked and ignored topics in graphic design history. It is our goal to deepen and expand the knowledge, understanding, and interpretation of design history.
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Thank you for joining us today, I am your host, Renee Martin..
Art Nouveau was a stylistic movement in the late nineteenth century characterized by highly ornate and decorated designs. Inspired by Japanese woodblock prints, Celtic manuscripts, The Arts and Crafts Movement, and the development of the lithograph, Art Nouveau, or New Art, was applied to everything from architecture to biscuit tins.
Though widely applied, posters that make up a great part of Art Nouveau history.The development of lithography meant posters could be large illustrations filled with bright colors and elaborate designs, even though they were advertisements for anything from events to consumer products. While Paris, France was Art Nouveau’s epicenter, it spread to England and eventually the United States. Along the way, several illustrators made a name for themselves and were pivotal to Art Nouveau’s popularity. Some of their posters were, and still are, collected as fine art.
Art Nouveau’s Inspirations
But before we get to the posters, let’s back up and look at what inspired Art Nouveau’s recognizable style.
According to designer Patrick Cramsie, the most important influence on the style came from Japan. For hundreds of years, Japan had traded with countries across Europe. In 1603, Japanese rulers sealed their borders, concerned by the influence of European missionaries on Japanese culture and society. It became impossible for anyone to leave Japan and very few foreigners to enter. It stayed that way for nearly 300 years. It meant that Japanese art and culture was allowed to grow and develop in almost complete isolation.
When Japan reopened its borders in the mid 1800s, the injection of Japanese art into foreign markets found an audience that just couldn’t get enough Japanese goods. In particular was ukiyo-e, the Japanese style of woodblock printing. French consumers loved the prints and European designers began adopting the hallmarks of ukiyo-e like asymmetrical compositions, clear, delicate line work, flat color renderings, and the idea of using glamorous women as the main figure.
One of the other big inspirations of Art Nouveau came from Celtic Manuscripts. Celtic art was widely popular in Scotland, Ireland, and the British Isles. The Celtic style was kind of an umbrella term for medieval art in these regions roughly between 500 and 1000 CE. About the same time Japanese art was reentering foreign markets, the popularity of the Celtic style was being reignited.
Art history professor Dr. Stephen J. Eskilson notes that “[I]n Ireland as well as in Scottish cities such as Glasgow during the mid-nineteenth century, there was a resurgence of interest in Celtic art for nationalistic reasons, and also because of the broader celebration of medieval culture that lay at the heart of the Arts and Crafts movement” (Eskilson, 2012).
The knotted forms, spirals, detailed typography, and flowy lines seen in illuminated manuscripts influenced similar details in the Arts & Crafts movement, and later in Art Nouveau.
Many designers and artists were infatuated by the Art Nouveau aesthetic. These eager designers believed the ideals of William Morris, a prominent figure in the Arts and Crafts movement in England. Art curators Peter Selz and Mildred Constantine wrote that “The artist of Art Nouveau, whatever his views on the relation of art to society, began his work with the desire to evoke meaning and intense feeling through the forms of the work itself. William Morris’ dictum, ‘Have nothing in your houses which you do not know to be beautiful,’ might have been rewritten by the Art Nouveau designer, ‘Have nothing in your world which you do not feel to be meaningful’” (Selz and Constantine, 1960).
But the biggest influence on Art Nouveau wasn’t another style or movement. It was a technology.
Even though Art Nouveau was inspired by many other art styles and movements, it was specifically made to be different from them, hence the name “New Art.” Patrick Cramsie says Art Nouveau was the “style of the street” meaning illustrators and designers used the Art Nouveau style for everything from theater posters to cookie tins. However these designs and illustrations were shaped in large part by the printing press and more specifically, lithography.
The printing press was used for public display in the early sixteenth century and really showed its potential through the printing and circulation of Martin Luther’s theses and pamphlets. That potential took off in the nineteenth century with the age of the poster. According to Cramsie, the addition of chromolithography in the printing process in the second half of the nineteenth century “allowed designers and artists to exploit the special graphic potential that lay within the poster format” and create bolder and brighter colors than had ever been mass produced before.
In fact, Art Nouveau artist Jules Chéret, hailed as the “King of the Poster,” revolutionized the use of the lithographic process by simplifying it and extending its range of color effects. He created a formula that consisted of simple outlines, subtle mixes of bright color, and stippling. Cheret turned the color lithographic prints into an aesthetic that resembled fine art.
Cramsie goes on to say that “In contrast to the religious and political tenor of much of the printing from the Reformation, the posters of the late nineteenth century served the more secular aims of commerce and entertainment.”
The result was that the streets and alleyways of Paris, France were stacked with large, vividly colorful posters and images that were a distinct departure from the more timid Victorian design conventions. Cramsie notes that “Such images were often dominated by a single, large human figure, rather than the smaller detailed groupings that had been adopted from the style of illustration used in magazines and journals” (Cramsie, 2010). He goes on to highlight how Chéret used his artistic lithograph formula to depict “joyfully alluring young women, whose carefree exuberance and thinly veiled sexuality were seen to represent the cult of pleasure then associated with fin-de-siècle Paris.”
The aesthetics of Art Nouveau posters were iconic and easily recognizable. For Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, moving into the style meant gracefully moving into abstraction from realism with forms rooted in nature and the Japanese influence on clear display. Asymmetrically arranged curved lines, swirls, botanical motifs, and ornate plant-like shapes were used well and often. Here’s Cramsie again: “The botanical forms followed on from the Arts and Crafts movement’s use of floral decoration which itself had been inspired by the illuminated pages of medieval manuscripts and the printed pages of the Renaissance books” (Cramsie, 2010).
Poster designs usually were controlled by the typeface itself. Letterforms were often expressive on graphic posters. Art Nouveau pioneer Eugene Grasset’s typography imitated Oriental scroll design, “weaving over and under the long panel and the main illustration, borders with celtic and classical motifs close in the entire design, and assert the proportion of the page on which it is placed” (Selz and Constantine). His lettering and line designs reflected and took inspiration from Celtic manuscripts. In 1893, Grasset was commissioned to create a title design for the publishers, Revue illutrée. This was a step towards the ultimate development in selecting a lettering style for Art Nouveau.
To the surprise of the design field, a bookkeeper, Frank Robinson, created the iconic Coca-Cola hand lettered logo. He used this style, called Spencerian script, for formal bookkeeping. Spencerian script and was prominent in the United States between 1850 and 1925. This is significant simply because Robinson unknowingly created a bridge between Art Nouveau and formal lettering. Thereafter, many companies and product designers attempted to recreate the elegant loops and curves of the Spencerian script.
The dance between Japanese design and Art Nouveau did not stop at typography. Cramsie notes that the best-known example of this was pseudo-Japanese calligraphy meant to mimic the brushlike strokes of actual Japanese calligraphy. A French writer, illustrator and type designer, Jean-Georges Huyot used this technique in designing the first two French books on Art Nouveau typography along with Georges Peignot.
As with any art movement or style, not everyone was a fan.
Author and art historian Alan M. Fern noted that English artist and book illustrator Walter Crane saw the Art Nouveau style as an unhealthy obsession which he called “that strange decorative disease.” Crane also concluded that Art Nouveau was pretentious and unsuccessful in creating a meaningful aesthetic.
Art Nouveau Spreads
Nevertheless, the popularity of Art Nouveau grew and spread from its birthplace in France. As the style crossed borders, it took on a kind of local flavor that made French Art Nouveau different from British Art Nouveau, which was then different from American Art Nouveau.
Jules Chéret was a French designer and the son of a typesetter. He settled in Paris after working in London in his younger years. He helped create the Art Nouveau style after popularizing the use of chromolithography to make vibrant prints. Chéret’s work took inspiration from Japanese ukiyo-e as well as French rococo, a style famous for its brilliant colors, decorative elements and dynamic compositions. Eskilson noted how “rococo subject matter relied on the same sort of playful sensuality that was a popular part of the new cabaret culture in Paris” (Eskilson, 2012). It would be Chéret’s work that created the “uniquely French” aesthetic that resulted in an iconic French Art Nouveau style.
And others followed.
Leonetto Cappiello, an Italian artist who moved to Paris, found success drawing caricatures for the satirical magazine Le Rire, meaning “The Laugh.” Cappiello found steady work in the field and collaborated with a variety of published magazine journals. Cappiello was most famous for his work in the La Revue Blanche, which was an “edgy” literary journal published by Alexandre Natanson. Eventually, Cappiello’s caricature career transitioned to an advertisement gig, where he found designing posters to be quite lucrative. Eskilson notes that Cappiello’s version of the Art Nouveau aesthetic included an interesting mix of caricatures, “Japonisme, and a dash of Chéret’s kinetic colorism into a striking new synthesis” (Eskilson, 2012).
Alphonse Mucha built his poster making career in Paris after moving from Czechoslovakia in the late 1880s. His rise to stardom resembles a legend from a story. While he was working alone in a print shop as a junior employee, a theatrical superstar by the name of Sarah Bernhardt rushed into the shop. Bernhardt was disguised and using an alias, submitted a hasty order for posters of herself. Eskilson indicates that “with his first acclaimed poster, Mucha developed his signature style that featured an elongated figure amid a mesmerizing field of decorative flat patterns” (Eskilson, 2012). His style included curved contour lines and organic illustrations. His curved lines swirled especially at the hair of the female figures. These repetitive patterns are known as “arabesques” inspired by Arab culture. Mucha’s posters for Bernhardt were so successful that Bernhardt hired him to design jewelry, stage sets, and costumes for her shows. Mucha hand drew his lettering with lines that matched the organic motifs and lines of the elegant female figure. He often framed the central figure with flowers and plants.
Author Alastair Duncan writes that Mucha created the Belle Epoque maiden character as a romanticization of Rossetti's Prosperine. “Clad fashionably in jewelled or feathered headgear and immense sweeping skirts, this image of pure and naive youthfulness came to personify the mood in the French capital on the threshold of the new century” (Duncan, 1994).
England’s obsession with Art Nouveau posters started with visiting exhibitions. Critics thought English Art Nouveau was stale and unsaturated compared to their French counterparts. Despite these opinions, English designers kept producing posters and illustrations.
Aubrey Beardsley was an extremely influential English designer and was known for his version of the Japanese print inspirations. His version included a flat, two-dimensional quality, and forests rendered with high contrast ink crosshatching (Eskilson, 2012).
Duncan argues that the Beggarstaff Brothers created the strongest English Art Nouveau posters. Their designs included great Japanese influence with solid flat colors. Margaret MacDonald used designs similar to her metalwork in her poster designs. She primarily used black and white to render her elongated figures and asymmetric geometric patterns. “The introduction of one or two additional colors - such as pink for an isolated rose - softened the monochromatic impact of her compositions” (Duncan, 1994).
At the tail end of the nineteenth century, Art Nouveau made its way across the pond.
Americans were introduced to this style through European exhibitions and imported magazines. Art Nouveau was a tantalizing, fresh new obsession for the designers from the Arts and Crafts movement in America. European prints and posters were carefully collected and framed as pieces of rare and delicate fine art. Art Nouveau became the delight of the American public despite clients who turned their nose up and continued requesting realistic images.
Will Bradley, one of the most successful American Art Nouveau designers, drew inspiration from imported magazines and illustrations when teaching himself the style of Art Nouveau. He focused on curved lines, solid, rounded shapes, and flat color.
Another American artist, Ethel Reed, used plant-inspired motifs in her work. She frequently used specific flowers of flat color like poppies and lilies. Despite being a woman, Reed managed to climb the design ladder and shine her light on behalf of all Art Nouveau women designers who constantly went unrecognized (Cramsie, 2010).
In the United States, there was a ferocious competition between a variety of different magazines that were inspired by Art Nouveau like Harper’s, Century, and Lippincott’s, with Harper’s being one of the most well recognized for its Art Nouveau cover designs. Publishers wanted European designers in order to keep up with popular styles. Having a designer from Europe was a shiny feather in their caps.
Edward Penfield was one of the American illustrators who managed to replicate the European style. Penfield worked up to being the art director for Harper’s magazine after studying in Paris for two years as a young artist. Eskilson described how one of Penfield’s cover designs for Harper’s showcased the “asymmetrical composition, heavy black contour lines, and flat, unmodeled planes of even color characteristic of the Japanese impulse in Art Nouveau” (Eskilson, 2012).
Most designs from American and European works showed a young woman as the main figure. Both societies started to allow women to have roles and identities outside the household. Because of this, many Art Nouveau designs featured young women riding bicycles or looking content and self-sufficient. The most prominent designer in America during the late nineteenth century was Will H. Bradley. He is most known for his Thanksgiving poster design shown on the cover of Chap Book. He used large, solid planes of color and expressive curved lines to accentuate the elegance of Art Nouveau. The American Type Founders Association took Bradley on as a consultant and named a blackletter typeface after him. His typeface design resembled the classic medieval European hand lettering styles.
Conclusion
France, England, and the United States shared an obsession with Art Nouveau in their own ways. France’s style was highly decorated and filled with bright, vivid colors. England’s style was simpler with a close to monochromatic palette and manuscript-inspired inking patterns. The United States usually had more conservative designs than France, but they did have bright colors.
Art Nouveau’s popularity meant that it endured. It remained and will continue to remain a visual reference and inspiration for designers and illustrators for decades to come.
Credits:
This episode was produced with the aid of a grant from the University of Central Oklahoma
Research & Writing credits for this episode are from – Renee Martin
With additional research assistance provided by – XXXXX
Story editing provided by Spencer Gee
Sound design/engineering – By the University of Central Oklahoma’s Center for eLearning and Connected Environments
Music by Christina Giacona and Patrick Conlon of Onyx Lane
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