The very concept of "Modern" has its roots in the 19th-20th century, when a fundamentally the new kind art, combining many elements of various trends of that time.

One of the main features of the Art Nouveau style is soft curves and lines, the rejection of right angles whenever possible and a preference for more natural patterns that are characteristic of natural objects.

Note: This direction usually tries to harmoniously combine artistic and utilitarian principles in everything with which one has to work. Most interior elements made in this style have a flexible and sophisticated shape.

And cabinet furniture is distinguished by excellent functionality and catchy simplicity, but with obligatory inclusions of peculiar “highlights” (unusual fittings, glazing or patterns on frames or facades). As regards individual finishing materials, then "natural" trends also prevail here. So, these are stylized leaves, flowers, birds or insects.

Style history

We can say that the main factor contributing to the emergence of a new style was a large pile of different directions in the design of premises at the end of the 19th century. Old conservative styles and trends that promote newfangled trends are mixed in one boiler. Also, a significant at that time transition from crafts to mass production can be considered a kind of impetus.

Note: For the first time Art Nouveau showed itself in graphics and painting, and the main element of the decor was a curved line that could resemble a plant stem or a curl of hair. The interior, on the other hand, had a clear decorative and applied character, which was initially focused on imitation of forms reminiscent of natural ones.

Well, around the world, this style has already spread by the beginning of the 20th century.

In different countries, Art Nouveau found different admirers and, accordingly, was also called differently. So, in Austria it was called the Secession (the name was given by a group of artists who then did not agree with the academic canons and began to create and try new styles), in Germany - Jugendstil (after the name of the Jugend magazine, which then covered Modernist trends in decoration and painting). ), in France - Artnouveau (in honor of the store, built in Paris and completely designed in accordance with the main canons of Modern).

It is interesting to note that on the English continent the new style was not as widespread as in other European countries. In many ways, this was facilitated by the conservative views of the majority of English society of that time. In Russia, Art Nouveau most manifested itself in architecture..

The decline in the popularity of Art Nouveau as a general trend in the interior, painting and architecture falls on the period of the 1910s.

With its brightness and decorative and applied orientation, this style won not only many fans, but also opponents of this direction. In addition, unusual elements of furniture or decor were quite expensive to manufacture, and mass cheap products made on production lines were already entering the market with might and main. The Art Nouveau finally died out in 1914, when the First World War.

Style Features

So, it has already been said that the main element of Art Nouveau is a curving line, which is present both in various structural elements and in the decor itself, visually merging and creating a unique composition. Finishing can be the most diverse (tile, wood, bronze, stone, mosaic), but at the same time it should have a clear stylized focus on plants or natural forms, turning even metal objects into lush vegetation.

Samo interior design is designed to negate the old conservative principles. The walls are covered with amazing patterns of curving lines, the ceilings are decorated with flat plaster reliefs, the walls are added with colors, and the curtains are artificially made lighter. The same "natural" theme dominates in the forms of furniture. Here, basically, two main directions of development are distinguished: decorative (fancy, curved shapes) and constructive (straightness and clarity).

It is worth noting that the second type of furniture is more typical for the production of England and Germany. Art Nouveau is able to reveal the bright and extraordinary nature of the owner of the premises. And the use of a synthesis of various areas of art in its basis to this day leaves this style in demand and widely used throughout the world.

Modern Modern

Contemporary Art Nouveau is rich in completely new and unique textures and materials. which makes it even more diverse. The main thing that should not be forgotten is the origins of the appearance of style. Namely, smooth lines and curves, motifs of nature and the harmonious combination of all the elements that make up the interior. Our imagination has no limits, and if we also adhere to the basic canons, then the interior in this style will make your home light and bright, and also capable of pleasing the eye for a very long time.

S til Art Nouveau has conditional chronological boundaries: the end of the 1880s - 1914 - the beginning of the First World War, which interrupted the natural development of art in most European countries.

During the modern period, there was a rethinking of old artistic forms and techniques, convergence and merging of various types and genres of art.

In each country, this style has its own name: in the USA - Tiffany, in France - Art Nouveau, in Germany - Art Nouveau, in Austria - Secession style, in England - Modern Style, in Italy - Liberty Style, in Spain - Modernismo, in the Netherlands - Nieuwe Kunst (new art), in Switzerland - spruce style, in Russia - modern.

Art Nouveau renounces traditional classical architectural principles - symmetry, order and antique decoration of facades - in favor of natural flowing fluid forms. Curved curved line - main feature in the decoration of facades and interiors.

S.P. Mansion Ryabushinsky, architect F. Shekhtel, Moscow, 1900

Mansion "Sharonov's House", architect F. Shekhtel, Taganrog, 1912

Mansion of A. Kurlina, architect A. U. Zelenko, Samara, 1903

Mascaron at the mansion of E.E. Kartashov, architect A.L. Ober, Moscow, 1902

Each building of the Art Nouveau era has an individual architectural image, each is unique in its own way. The division into structural and decorative elements of the building disappears. Facades turn into living organisms with floral ornaments, fantastic animals or mascarons in the form of female heads. They are the result of the free flight of the artist's imagination. Architecture and fine art converge, influence and complement each other. A building is a canvas on which even the smallest details are important, the shape of the stair railing, the pattern of doors and windows...

The architectural and artistic image of the building necessarily takes into account the functional purpose of the building. Construction Materials modern - reinforced concrete, steel, glass, ceramics, bronze, copper, brick.

The main colors in Art Nouveau are pastel muted shades: tobacco, withered roses, pearl gray, dusty lilac.

Interior of A. Kurlina's mansion in Samara

Ceiling decor in the mansion of S.P. Ryabushinsky in Moscow

Ceiling decor in A. Kurlina's mansion in Samara

Staircase in the mansion of S.P. Ryabushinsky in Moscow

Style is characterized by the principle of unity of the whole. In modernity, the building is designed "from the inside out", that is, from interior spaces to the exterior of the building. The tradition is being revived when the architect designed the building from the facade to the smallest details. Everything - from the fence lattice to window frames, door handles, railings, furniture, dishes, fabrics, lamps and other components - is decided in one way.

The design of the building often uses wood and forged curved elements for doors, stairs, balcony railings and building fences.

Doors and windows are usually rectangular, often arched. Doors - sometimes the entire wall, sliding, hinged or pivoting with rich floral ornaments. Tape - the entire wall of the window or "shop" - wide, like shop windows.

Decorative desudeport above the door in the mansion of A. Kurlina in Samara

Stained-glass window in A. Kurlina's mansion in Samara

Stained-glass window in the mansion of S.P. Ryabushinsky in Moscow

Fireplace decorated with copper poppies in the mansion of A. Kurlina in Samara

Mosaic, enamel, stained glass, brass are favorite techniques used to decorate the interior of the building and furniture.

The heyday of the Art Nouveau architectural style in Europe and America falls on the years 1890-1914, the First World War prevented further. The new direction has radically changed the idea of ​​beauty in graphics, design, sculpture, music, ballet.

Inventive architects created not only expressive structures with an unusual external and internal appearance, but also mastered new materials - concrete, steel, glass.

Modern house designs in Art Nouveau technique use historical elements selectively, abandoning lush decor and excessive asymmetry in favor of more rational solutions.

Instead of eclecticism

The direction was formed as opposed to eclecticism, which mixed details from different styles often not very skillfully. During a period of rapid urban growth and industrialization, Art Nouveau building heralded a return to the practicality of Medieval and Renaissance buildings.

Architects met the increased need for buildings for stock exchanges, banks, railway stations, industrial enterprises and tenement houses. The innovation of that time - reinforced concrete structures, curved steel profiles - made it possible to create complex curvilinear facades.

The impetus for development was the decorative arts. The German decorator Herman Obrist in 1895 created the canvas "Blow of the Scourge" (in another translation, "Blow of the Whip"). Silk embroidery on a woolen panel depicted the stem, leaves and flower of cyclamen in a bizarre form, reminiscent of the stroke of a beating whip.

Nature has become a source of inspiration for architects working in the classical modern style.

Natural silhouettes of plants (lilies, orchids, irises, palm leaves, algae), sea waves are used everywhere: in painting, large-scale mosaic panels, stucco friezes, in the design of facades, balcony grilles, door handles. Fancy stained glass windows, made in the Art Nouveau style, depict peacock tails, beautiful swan necks, and female curls.

Features of Art Nouveau in architecture

Design principle	In the 18th and 19th centuries, a movement from appearance home to internal organization. The new approach proclaimed the primary layout of the premises, which in turn influenced the external forms. Buildings receive asymmetrical volumes, Art Nouveau facades are full of bay windows, towers, balconies and loggias.
Freedom of creativity	Intentionally fantasy design of the external and interior decoration becomes one of the most popular architectural solutions. A striking example is Casa Batlo by the Spanish master Gaudi, where the idea of ​​defeating the dragon is embodied.
Silhouettes	The rejection of straight and angular lines in favor of more natural ones leads to fluid silhouettes and emphasized decorativeness. Thanks to the creative use of steel, glass and reinforced concrete in the design of modern houses, a fusion of natural and man-made forms is clearly felt.
Color spectrum	Pastel, without obvious contrasts, dominated by olive, gray, dusty lilac, tobacco shades. The exterior and interior of buildings exist in close relationship; curved stairs, railings and supports follow the ornamental lines.
Characteristic elements of modernity	Lushly decorated columns (straight, angled or curved), window and door openings in the form of arches, complex glazing. Masters combine the traditions of European, Oriental and African architecture, but do not blindly copy them, but freely interpret them.

Art Nouveau direction in the architecture of different countries

The fashion trend has received several names - it was designated as "art nouveau" in France and Belgium, "art nouveau" in Germany and Sweden, "modern" in Russian Empire, "secession" in Austria, "tiffany" in the USA.

Belgium

Victor Horta was the first to apply the "blow of the whip" in the design of the facades during the construction and used the supporting structures of an asymmetric shape. The architect turned to the techniques of large glazing in combination with large quantity metal.

His Art Nouveau buildings - the famous mansions of Tassel, Solvay, Eitveld, the house-workshop (Horta Museum) - are included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

France

Hector Guimard, a leading architect of the period, embodied Art Nouveau designs in the design of urban mansions, but he is best remembered for the design of the pavilions of the Paris Metro.

The objects he created freely combine metal frames with glass elements, glazed ceramic tiles, brick and sandstone.

Austria

The Vienna Secession is distinguished by more modest decor and simple, regular geometric shapes. In this direction, tenement house Majolica House and Post Office in Vienna (designed by Otto Wagner). In the style of geometric modernity, J. Hoffmann worked, using right angles and the technique of a checkerboard instead of smooth outlines.

A striking example of Austrian architecture is the mansion of the banker Stoclet, built in Brussels.

Spain

The Catalan architect Antonio Gaudi created the famous picturesque, but no less constructive buildings: Batlo House, Mila House, Park Güell. His beautiful houses in the Art Nouveau technique - with undulating facades, ceramic tiles similar to dragon scales - attract tourists from all over the world, as well as the unfinished project of the Sagrada Familia.

USA

American Art Nouveau design is associated with the name of Louis Tiffany. He invented the technique of joining pieces of glass using copper foil. Stained glass windows, created using this technology, decorate buildings throughout the country. Stained glass windows are one of the main elements of modern modernity.

Russian Art Nouveau architecture

The new trend in architecture embraced not only the European part of the Russian Empire, but also the cities of the Urals and Siberia. Regional differences were manifested in the number of storeys and the choice of materials: in the capital, multi-storey buildings were built of stone, in other places - mansions with two or three floors of wood and a stone plinth.

The Art Nouveau style in the architecture of Russia had an original character and manifested itself in two main directions: Petersburg and Moscow.

Northern modern (Petersburg)

Developed under the influence of the works of the Scandinavian masters F. Lindval, A. Shulman, E. Saarinen. The cottage of the Grand Duke B.V., made in the Art Nouveau style. Romanov near Tsarskoye Selo became one of the first buildings.

Examples of the new architectural trend include the Eliseev brothers' shop, the house of F.G. Bazhanov, hotel "Astoria", tenement houses in Gatchina, Vyborg, Sortval. Of the Russian architects, N. Vasiliev, G. Baranovsky, P. Aleshin worked in this style.

The main characteristics of the northern modern:

• Facade decoration with natural and artificial materials.
• Facing with granite blocks (unhewn or with a smooth texture).
• Refusal of small ornament in favor of simple stucco elements.
• Preservation of symmetry, use of rectangular towers.
• The color scheme of the facades is associated with impregnable northern cliffs and medieval castles.

A characteristic example of the modernist architecture of St. Petersburg is the project of P. Syuzor on Nevsky Prospekt: ​​the house of the Singer company (today the House of the Book is located here).

Used for the first time in work metal carcass, which reduced the load on the walls and allowed the installation of showcase windows.

A roof with glazing over the courtyards has also become a new technique, it was technically more competently equipped ventilation system. main facade crowned with a transparent dome with the figure of an eagle - one of the most recognizable symbols of the city.

Moscow modern

Mostly private buildings were noted here (this is the difference with the St. Petersburg direction). The ideology was substantiated and developed in the Abramtsevo circle - an association of artists and decorators, headed by patron Savva Mamontov.

Art Nouveau buildings erected in Moscow have characteristic features:

• Asymmetric layouts and facade compositions.
• Miscellaneous facing materials.
• Bay windows as dominant architectural accents.
• A combination of floral and geometric decors in the interior and exterior.

A classic example of a house in the Moscow Art Nouveau style is the mansion of the collector S.P. Ryabushinsky designed by Fyodor Shekhtel.

Facades of light yellow color are decorated with lilac mosaic with irises. Window openings are made different in shape, they are complemented by steel bars with floral ornaments. Shekhtel also designed the interior decoration of the house.

The idea of ​​a sea wave is read in the outlines of stairs, ceiling moldings, and floor mosaics.

Modern houses in Art Nouveau style

The majestic and graceful Moscow and St. Petersburg mansions of the late 19th and early 20th centuries serve as a prototype for modern private houses today.

The architectural direction is universal: it is suitable for residences and small-sized country cottages in Moscow and the Moscow region. Buildings are erected from brick, stone, concrete, wood, a popular solution is frame steel and glass structures.

Signs of Art Nouveau as a modern style:

• Asymmetry of compositional-volumetric solutions.
• Decoration of the facade with railings, cornices, platbands of bizarre shapes.
• Window openings of non-standard configuration: oval, round, trapezoidal, narrow (loopholes), showcases with stained-glass windows.
• Turrets, spiers and weather vanes on the roof.
• Natural colors: lavender, terracotta, beige shades.

Home space is organized rationally. Often, cottage projects in the modern concept combine a residential part, a garage, and outbuildings. the same exterior finish performs a linking function.

Bay windows, many balconies, glazed terraces are appropriate, attic space. The exterior is characterized by openwork metal details: railings, window bars. Wild stone, its imitation or facing brick is well suited for finishing the basement.

Projects of modern houses in the Art Nouveau style are very democratic in terms of materials. Metal, glass, brick, ceramics, reinforced concrete are used. Polyurethane is used to make original facade decor, including copies of the design of famous historical objects.

Video of a modern house in Art Nouveau style from TopDom architects

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Introduction

The complex and contradictory processes that determined artistic development in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries sharply polarized: on the one hand, there was a historically natural combination of realistic art with the ideas and social aspirations of socialism, on the other hand, they were defined, deepened and began to take more and more extreme forms. trends in the decay of artistic creativity in reactionary bourgeois art. In the art of the 19th and 20th centuries, with all the complexity, heterogeneity, and sometimes confusion of artistic processes, one can nevertheless trace two main lines of historical development. One of them is connected with the progressive ascent from romanticism to realism. The other - with the gradual accumulation of symptoms and elements of decline, with the emergence and further evolution of modernism. If socialist realism inherits and develops all the progressive achievements of the realistic art of the past, then modernism seems to “absorb” all the negative and reactionary moments in the previous artistic development, ultimately leading to the complete disintegration of art. The artistic processes of modernity are precisely determined by the struggle between realism and modernism, which ultimately reflects the struggle between the two main forces. modern world- socialism and imperialism.

Features of modern style

At the end of the 19th century, art appears new style, whose adherents are trying to move away from historicism and eclecticism contemporary art. This style was called Art Nouveau (from the French modernus - the latest, modern). Art Nouveau style is one of the names of a major style direction in the art of Europe and the USA. Modernism is distinguished by a natural and organic connection with the development of art in each of the countries, which is why several names that have arisen independently of each other are used. Art Nouveau is most clearly manifested in architecture, book design, poster art, sculpture and painting.

For the first time the new style declared itself in England. In other Western European countries, Art Nouveau took shape in the 1880s. In France, it was called "Art Nouveau", in Germany - "Jugendstil", in Austria - "Secession", in Italy - "Liberty", in Spain - "Modernismo", in Poland - "Secession".

Modernism arose as one of the types of neo-romantic protest against the widespread worship of rationality and practicality in the culture of Europe. In stylistic terms, modernism opposes the eclecticism that dominated the art of the 19th century with internal unity and organicity. Thus, modernism was born as a style of a generalizing, universal type. In the center of interest of theorists and leaders of modernism is the development of a meaningful and spiritualized form that would express the tension and refinement of the creative spirit of a critical era. According to its ideologists, among whom the role of the remarkable architect H. van de Velde is especially great, modernism was supposed to become the lifestyle of a new society, to create a holistic, aesthetically perfect subject environment around a person, which would allow to see the old ones in a new way and create new forms, methods, materials. One of the most important ideas for modernity is bridging the gap between the artistic and the utilitarian.

Modernism most consistently implemented its principles in the field of creating individual dwellings, which were conceived as a single ensemble in architectural, decorative and design terms. But in the spirit of modernity, numerous business, industrial building, railway stations, theaters, apartment buildings. The formation of Art Nouveau begins at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. During this period, national-romantic hobbies, interest in the art of the Middle Ages, in folklore are being revived. Among the important milestones in the history of modernity is the emergence of art workshops, the prototypes of which were the workshops of W. Morris in the UK, organized by him back in the 80s. 19th century; German workshops of artistic crafts in Germany, Viennese workshops in Austria, workshops in Abramtsevo in Russia and many others.

The mature stage of modernity comes in the first decade of the twentieth century. Now this style is no longer reduced to the sum of local schools, but acquires the features of an international one. Its rapid spread was facilitated by numerous magazines published in all European countries in the 90s of the XIX century. (the famous “world of art” is one of such publications). Art Nouveau cultivates a new type of universal artist, who combines an architect, graphic artist, painter, designer, and very often a theorist in one person. The idea of ​​a “total work of art”, born back in the era of late romanticism, was gaining great popularity, the author of which was one of the rulers of the thoughts of the era, the German composer R. Wagner. The idea of ​​an integral work of art was most clearly embodied in interior architecture, the best samples which are distinguished by the rhythmic consistency of lines and tones, the unity of decor and furnishings details (furniture, wallpaper, stucco, panels, etc.). Such an interior was conceived as a homogeneous artistically unified space, complicated and expanded by mirrors, numerous windows, and picturesque panels.

Art Nouveau architecture was the first step in the development of architecture of the twentieth century. She strove for the unity of constructive and artistic principles, mastered a free, functionally meaningful layout, used frame structures, a variety of new materials, including reinforced concrete, glass, forged metal, and raw stone. Freely placing buildings, modern architects rejected the symmetry and norms of regular building. Their goal was an individualized work of architecture, while the building and its structural elements received a decorative and symbolic-figurative comprehension.

Specific author's styles of modern architecture are different. Many masters are dominated by the desire for unusual pictorial effects, dynamics, plasticity and fluid outlines, likening architectural forms organic natural phenomena. Such are the works of A. Gaudi in Spain, H. van de Velde in Belgium, F. Schechtel in Russia. But, along with this, there was also a rationalist tendency. Its supporters gravitated towards the geometric correctness of large, calm planes, towards rigor. Such are the works of J. Hoffmann in Austria, C. Macintosh in Scotland, and later the works of F. Schechtel.

The main expressive means of Art Nouveau is the ornament, which not only decorates the work, but also forms its composition. In the interiors of Belgian architects, elegant linear weaves, mobile plant patterns are scattered on the walls, floor, ceiling, they unite architectural planes, organize space. Flowing lines of decor often have a symbolic meaning. The masters of Viennese Art Nouveau - J. Hoffmann, J. Olbrich, in the works of C. Macintosh, strictly geometric ornament varies the motifs of a circle and a square. Despite the proclaimed refusal to imitate historical styles, modern artists used the linear structure of Japanese engraving, stylized floral patterns of ancient Aegean art or Gothic, elements of decorative compositions of baroque, rococo, empire. Art Nouveau is characterized by the interpenetration of easel and arts and crafts forms of art. Thus, the principles of ornament were first formed in Art Nouveau graphics. Lithography, woodcuts, the art of the book reached special heights during this period in the work of O. Beardsley, F. Vallotton, A. Benois, A. Mucha, K. Moser and many other brilliant graphic artists. In painting and sculpture, Art Nouveau, inextricably linked with symbolism, sought to create its own artistic system, but was rather dependent on the major trends of the previous period. In addition, painting was considered as an element of the interior, so decorativeness became one of the main qualities of Art Nouveau painting. It often contains a paradoxical combination of decorative conventionality, ornamental backgrounds, and figures and faces molded with sculptural clarity in the foreground. Exemplary in this sense is the art of G. Klimt. The style of A. Mucha is an example of the ideal application of linearity in modern art. Like many modernist artists, A. Mucha was also a designer: he created sketches for jewelry, stained-glass windows, furniture, theatrical scenery, costumes.

The expressiveness of painting was achieved by combining large color planes (the Nabis group in France, L. Bakst in Russia). There was a significant interest in the symbolism of line and color, in the themes of melancholic contemplation, sorrow, mystery, spicy eroticism, in legendary fairy tales. The names of such famous artists as P. Gauguin, P. Bonnard, M. Denis, E. Vuillard, P. Serusier in France, E. Munch in Norway, F. Hodler in Switzerland, G. Klimt in Austria, are associated with modern art. F. von Stuck in Germany.

The modernist artist says that he does not want to focus on the layman, the tradesman, on the bourgeois public, on the undeveloped aesthetic consciousness. But the nature of his break with him is such that he leaves humanity in general. And so modernist art becomes not only anti-people, but also unnatural.

Already in the first quarter of the 20th century, modernist movements appeared, returning to objectivity. But this return either acquires a naturalistic character, since it is associated with lack of ideas, with the rejection of progressive social ideals, or it turns out to be imaginary, since it retains the rejection of representation. The regression of art turns out to be impossible to overcome on a modernist basis without going beyond its borders.

A prominent representative of Art Nouveau in book graphics was Aubrey Beardsley.