6.1 Ornament and Crime: Art for Art's Sake, the Art Nouveau, Raw Production, Industrial Architecture

Question 1

Answer 1

Henri Matisse, Dance (1909) Fauvism

• Primitive dance - not ballet
• slightly calamitous - circle has just broken
• japonisme - bodies rendered in flat unmottled color
• use of very few colors considered revolutionary at the time

Question 2

Answer 2

Antonio Gaudi, Casa Mila, Barcelona (1906-10) Art Nouveau

• Gaudi felt that urban dwellers needed their own unique spaces
• inspired by nature; resists the right angle; drawn to unusual, irregular shapes
• undulating serpentine facade creates buffer between public and private
• cave-like entryway
• balcony railing looks like masses of animals, plants; each balustrade unique

Question 3

Answer 3

Hector Guimard, Metro Stations, Paris (1899-1904) Art Nouveau

• Hired to design station entrances, a transitional moment between below & above ground.
• Wanted to make them recognizable, welcoming.
• Unified station entrances by design of typeface: curvy, irregular, lively, energetic;
  
  • and repetions of forms on plant-like railings.

Question 4

Answer 4

Gustave Klimt, Adele Block Bauer (1907) Vienna Secession, symbolist

• gold technique, byzantine imagery most likely inspired by travel to italy
• liked expressiveness of hands and feet
• liked borders and frames
• women, sensuality

Question 5

Fauvism

Answer 5

1. French for “the wild beasts”. A short-lived movement of 20th C modern artists who challenged the values of impressionism. Fauvists emphasized the expressive power of strong color and valued painterly qualities over the realism still present in Impressionism. Hallmarks of impressionist style are simplification, abstraction, unusual brushstrokes, and the use of vivid color. Their influences include van Gogh’s Post-Impressionist period and pointillism. Matisse’s Luxuriance, Calm and Sensuality (1904) is considered to be the first Fauve painting.

Question 6

Art Nouveau

Answer 6

A style of graphic art, architecture and decor most popular from 1890-1910. A reaction against the 19th C academy, Art Nouveau embraced primitivism, spirituality of color, and beauty. It took inspiration from plants and natural structures, and made great use of curved forms.

Antonio Gaudi was considered the premiere architect of Art Nouveau, and his Casa Mila (1906-10) is illustrative of the style, both inside and out.

Question 7

Viennese Secessionist

Answer 7

Formed in 1897 by a group of painters, sculptors and architects who seceded from the Association of Austrian Artists in reaction to its conservatism and traditionalism. Their work is not united by a singular style, but rather with their determination to explore the possibilities art outside the strictures of the academy, and to create opportunities for unconventional young artists . This philosphy is emblazoned on the front of Olbrich’s iconic Secession building (1897-8): ““To every age its art. To art its freedom” For the secessionists, artists should be free to make relevant art, rather than slavishly repeating the style sanctioned by the salons.

Question 8

How did Art Nouveau Artists integrate natural forms into their architecture?

Answer 8

Victor Horta, in the Hotel Tassel (1893-4) integrated natural forms into his architecture in many ways. He brings nature inside with a spiralling design on the floor suggestive of shells, a pillar that resembles a tree, and a balustrade that feels like a vine and balcony supports looks like tendrils. Everything is designed to be organic and flowing – not nature exactly, but stylized, manipulated nature.

Antoni Gaudi’s Church of Sagrada Familia (1882-) is evocative of a beehive, and its grotto-like facade has a cavelike aspect. Gaudi’s Casa Mila is faithful to the curved forms found in nature, and studiously avoids use of the right angle. It also has a cave-like aspect, and architectural details such as the balcony railings look like masses of animals and plants.