Lalique

Question 1

1) Lalique + other designers disliked the impact that the
industrial revolution + mass factory production of
cheap goods was having on society + decided to look
at the simplicity, beauty + vitality of nature for artistic
inspiration + called it Art Nouveau (new art)

Answer 1

He looked at elegant shapes in plants, animals and the female form; Lalique believed that ‘nature was the true source of good design’.

Question 2

2) Lalique was also inspired by the female form

Answer 2

• Woman at that time were becoming more independent,
  struggling for the vote, gaining the right to divorce +
  becoming more visible.
• He often portrayed them as almost threatening, a
  femme fatale image which shows respect for them.
  As seen in the ‘Dragonfly Brooch’ which shows a winged
  woman with deadly claws.

Question 3

3) Japan was a big influence on Art Nouveau

Answer 3

• At the time when Europe began trading with it in from
  1850’s, it suddenly became very fashionable to have all
  things Japanese.
• Birds and whiplash curves were a popular motif in
  Japanese woodblock prints and they can be found in
  adorning jewellery such as Lalique’s ‘Peacock Pendant’.

Question 4

4) Sigmund Freud was an influence on Lalique, due to his

famous book ‘The Interpretation of dreams’ - 1899

Answer 4

• He wrote about the dream world, symbolism + the
  supernatural. His influences can been seen in Lalique’s
  ‘Female With the Snake and Peacock Wing’
  It’s an almost supernatural creation of a female
  morphing into a creature.
• The snake symbolises renewal
• The peacock symbolises confidence

Question 5

5) The British Arts and Crafts Movement - 1880’s also

influenced Lalique’s work

Answer 5

• This movement was a reaction against the cluttered
  designs of Victorian decorative art
• The designers wanted well made, simple + natural
  designs
• This movement spread throughout Europe and
  influenced the Art Nouveau Movement