Art Neoveau’s influence on modern architecture

Art Nouveau became a prominate architectural style through 1890 to 1910. The style of architecture inspired by natural forms and structures. Architects tried to harmonize with nature, and took a wholistic approch designing every detail down to the furniture. This period was the paradoxial shift in architecture that influanced modern architecture. This was an intense quick change in thinking. Decoration became more then a suplimental addition to beautify the project; it became intergrated into the structure. Alan Colquhoun defines the Art Nouveau movement as merging ornament with classical form of an object, “animating it with new life” (Colquhoun 17). William Curtis elaborates on this point saying that Art Nouveau was the first style to begin to utilize the new technologies to their full potential. Merging form and ornament allows the buildings to be fluid and and full of motion. This gives the building a single experience instead of or just an assemblage of parts.  This is evident in the staircase detail below by Victor Horta. Three key players in the art nouveau movement were Victor Horta, Henry Van der Velde, and Henry Guimard.

Victor Horta was heavily influanced by Viollet- Le- Duc. He started out designing neoclassical buildings which was just a slight variation of Viollet Le Duc’s style. As Horta delveoped his own architecural style he built upon Viollet Le Duc’s principles to develop the begings to Art Nouveau. This style started to blend expose structures with organic motifs. This style started to give an open and flowing plan with every element of the planned and intergral to the design.

staircase of the Maison & Atelier by Horta 

Henry Van der Velde began his career as a painter. As a designer architecture seemed to be his next logical step. His background as a painter lead him to a different mindset then other architects of the time. Henry Van der Velde’s goal was to to create a daily life influanced and surrounded by art. He gave lectures on his theory of intergration of structure and ornament to premote his new ideas on architecture.  This self promotion pushed him and his theories to the forefront of the Art Nouveau Movement.

                                                                                                                                                   

Henry Van der Velde Chair

Hector Guimard brought the Art Nouveau movement from Belgium to France. This let this new style of architecture to influence and be viewed by a new society. Guimard had a strong relationship with Vioolet – Le – Duc. Guimard’s earliest works were soley based off Viollet – Le – Duc’s works. His first major work (Castle Beranger in Paris, France) was a modificated interpertation of Horta’s apartment’s in Belgium. Perhaps his most famous works were his Paris metropolitan stations.

 Castel Bonranger Gate Detail

Castel Bonranger by Guimard

                                                          

                                                                     Paris Metro Station

  Victor Horta, Henry Van der Velde, and Hector Guimard helped to merge pervious separate ways of thinkning into one wholistic idea. Before their influances structure and ornament used to be separate entites. The Art Nouveau movement though it was short lived blended structure, ornament, interior design, and environment in to one unified entity. This helped to push the limits of design and technology. So though short lived the the art Nouveau movement altered the contempory approch to design at the time paving the way for modern architecture.