Picture 1: Grand Palais, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
From the works designed for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, the Grand Palais (Picture 1) and the Eiffel Tower (Picture 4), for example, to the contemporary Louis Vuitton Foundation (Picture 18), they are classic examples of the organicity of forms and show that the Art Nouveau never ceased to be "new", and it will never be fail.
A new century arrived after Europe saw dynasties of divine right in heyday and fall. The French Revolution passed and the bourgeoisie saw the seizure and loss of power of Napoleon Bonaparte, in addition to a series of consequent conflicts that culminated in the First World War. There was also an English supremacy in the seven seas and its consequent Industrial Revolution, bringing to Europe new technologies and the change in "artistic taste" and social relations.
The scenario was paradoxical. Prosperity versus exploitation of the industrial worker, intellectual progress versus colonial strife in Africa, Southeast Asia and Pacific, among other inconsistencies. Despite this, there was the Belle Epoque period, even before the First World War. It was marked by an increase in purchasing power, which surpassed the Fin-de-siecle, precisely the predecessor period. In the Fin-de-siecle there was the fear of a "New French Revolution" and the emergence of new social theories, according to Weber (1988).
The decorative motifs were beginning to align with the technological innovations of engineering and new clients were emerging: the industries. They wanted functional factories, but at the same time they did not give up the progressive thinking. In this way, new environments more suitable for the comfort and safety of the workers were created, as had already been done in Menier Chocolate Factory (1870) - Picture 2 - with its apparent self-supporting steel structure, on the outskirts of Paris.
Picture 2: Menier Chocolate Factory, Outskirts of Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Research on the resistance of materials since the 17th century has washed the innovations of the 19th century. In Paris, the metal was used in the structure of the National Library (1868) - Picture 3 - in the 300m of height of the Eiffel Tower (1889) - Picture 4 - and in Les Halles (demolished in 1971). However, Art Nouveau did not want a return to the lyrical past, but a "new art," which used new possibilities for the challenge of population explosion and economic development. The symmetry was refuted and the effect of the curves was explored, often with phytomorphic, oriental and female motifs, using the material as an ornamental element. Iron and glass were excellent for architecture, deliberately thrown into building construction.
Picture 3: Oval Hall of the Nacional Library, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 4: Eiffel Tower, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Art Nouveau had many names. Launched by the Belgian Victor Horta in Brussels, after the inauguration of the Hôtel Tassel in 1894, the architectural movement of decorative wealth and renunciation of the past gained its name from the German shop's Samuel Bing. Opened in Paris in 1895, it was dedicated to the sale of avant-garde artistic products, created by Toulouse-Lautrec, Lalique, Beardsley, Will Bradley (American illustrator), Gallé, Tiffany, among others. It was the idea of breaking with the past and with the academies of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In this context, the so-called "art for art" made Art Nouveau a "decorative disease", as it was known at the time. Its sinuous forms, exploring natural motifs and Japanese stamping, were immediately associated with Art Nouveau.
Picture 2: Menier Chocolate Factory, Outskirts of Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Research on the resistance of materials since the 17th century has washed the innovations of the 19th century. In Paris, the metal was used in the structure of the National Library (1868) - Picture 3 - in the 300m of height of the Eiffel Tower (1889) - Picture 4 - and in Les Halles (demolished in 1971). However, Art Nouveau did not want a return to the lyrical past, but a "new art," which used new possibilities for the challenge of population explosion and economic development. The symmetry was refuted and the effect of the curves was explored, often with phytomorphic, oriental and female motifs, using the material as an ornamental element. Iron and glass were excellent for architecture, deliberately thrown into building construction.
Picture 3: Oval Hall of the Nacional Library, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 4: Eiffel Tower, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Art Nouveau had many names. Launched by the Belgian Victor Horta in Brussels, after the inauguration of the Hôtel Tassel in 1894, the architectural movement of decorative wealth and renunciation of the past gained its name from the German shop's Samuel Bing. Opened in Paris in 1895, it was dedicated to the sale of avant-garde artistic products, created by Toulouse-Lautrec, Lalique, Beardsley, Will Bradley (American illustrator), Gallé, Tiffany, among others. It was the idea of breaking with the past and with the academies of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. In this context, the so-called "art for art" made Art Nouveau a "decorative disease", as it was known at the time. Its sinuous forms, exploring natural motifs and Japanese stamping, were immediately associated with Art Nouveau.
In 1902, Auguste Perret (1874-1954) launched fashion in the architecture of the French capital, since the first residential building whose skeleton was made entirely in reinforced concrete leaves the paper. At 25-bis Rue Franklin (Picture 6), the decoration is entirely ornamented with phytomorphic motifs. According to Casevecchie (2014), the young architects of the late 19th century lacked permission to modify the fixtures defined by the Haussmann Baron (1809-1891) to the buildings of Paris. Thus, for twenty years, Art Nouveau ignored the Haussmann standard, and the French capital was the center of this movement, much more for its status as a world city of the arts than for the superiority of its artists.
Picture 5: Haussmann Standard Buildings, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 6: Building on the 25-bis Rue Franklin, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
In Paris, Hector Guimard best imposed an Art Nouveau style on architecture, but not only for drawing 167 entrances to the parisian subway (Picture 9). Influenced by Viollet-le-Duc, an admirer of Japanese art, he performed Castel Béranger (Picture 7) at the age of 27. He thus conceived more than three hundred buildings on the outskirts of Paris, in the cities of Passy and Auteuil.
Picture 5: Haussmann Standard Buildings, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 6: Building on the 25-bis Rue Franklin, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
In Paris, Hector Guimard best imposed an Art Nouveau style on architecture, but not only for drawing 167 entrances to the parisian subway (Picture 9). Influenced by Viollet-le-Duc, an admirer of Japanese art, he performed Castel Béranger (Picture 7) at the age of 27. He thus conceived more than three hundred buildings on the outskirts of Paris, in the cities of Passy and Auteuil.
Another architect, but in delirious imagination, Jules Lavirotte, almost invented the property "dress", thanks to the ceramics of Alexander Bigot, according to Casevecchie (2014). Lavirotte covered entire façades of huge ceramic panels and decorated them with figures of fantastic animals or sculptures, in which various sexual symbols could be seen, such as at 29 Avenue Rapp Building (Picture 10).
Then let's get to know four of the better icons at the time. Two major works already cited by Guimard, the entrances to the parisian subway and the Castel Béranger. In addiction we will also see one of Lavirotte and the sumptuous dome of the Galleries Lafayettes (Picture 12).
Hector Guimard made a home for a young widow, Elisabeth Fournier. A property of thirty six apartments, small and comfortable, known as Castel Béranger. According to Casevecchie (2014), architecture is free to Guimard's imagination, using different materials and not hesitating to mix colors, which was not only new but unthinkable at the time. Another innovation was the use of wrought iron, which was exclusive to train stations and factories. On the façade, a surprise. The carved stone and two pillars adorn the door made of cast iron and copper plates. This project was kept secret for a long time, given the competition of the time that forced the architects to do so.
For Guimard, the metal structure of cast iron, which corresponds to the service staircase and the counters, are as useful as decorative. There are figures of devils and masks everywhere, on doors, windows and counters, making it also known as the "house of devils."
Picture 7: Castel Béranger, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 8: Castel Béranger main door, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Guimard, after a rigid architectural competition, was delegated by the Parisian General Transport Company director the responsibility for designing various types of entrances for the Paris subway, as Casevecchie (2014) reports. One of those is Porte Dauphine (Picture 9), in an ediculous format with cast iron structure, stone baldrame and glass on the roof. It still retains its orange enameled metal panels.
Picture 7: Castel Béranger, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 8: Castel Béranger main door, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Guimard, after a rigid architectural competition, was delegated by the Parisian General Transport Company director the responsibility for designing various types of entrances for the Paris subway, as Casevecchie (2014) reports. One of those is Porte Dauphine (Picture 9), in an ediculous format with cast iron structure, stone baldrame and glass on the roof. It still retains its orange enameled metal panels.
Picture 9: Entrance of the Porte Dauphine Station, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
In his turn, Lavirotte had hands free to perform the property on Avenue Rapp (Picture 10), adorning it with erotic symbolism manifest in its exuberance and its decoration. However, Alexander Bigot played the crucial role in realizing this façade entirely covered with pottery. The crossed lintels, the columns, the blow-windows and the balustrades are all in ceramics, of varied colors, according to each floor. The cast-iron "whip-beat" counters are part of the process. The talent of Alexandre Bigot and Jean-Baptiste Larrivé, sculptor, contributed greatly to the award, in 1901, of a reward for the bast façade of Paris to this property.
Specialists, according to Casevecchie (2014), evoked the erotic features of the façade, beginning with the doorway, compared to a virile limb. The portrayal of a somewhat sad Adam, next to a totally upset Eva, brings up the ghosts of architecture high up on the main door. But humor is far from being absent from this exuberance.
Picture 10: Building on the 29 Avenue Rapp, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 11: Detail of the main door at 29 Avenue Rapp, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 12: Detail of the 29 Avenue Rapp façade, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 13: Registration of the Architect Lavirotte on the façade of the 29 Avenue Rapp Building, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Over the iconic Art Nouveau outlets in Paris, only four of thoses survived this glorious time, described by Emile Zola in "Women's Joy." In the 1900s, Printemps, Samaritaine, Bon Marché and Galleries Lafayette (Picture 14) were all found in the Art Nouveau style, according to Casevecchie (2014). The Samaritaine was virtually abandoned and the Bon Marché was luxuriously modernized. Only the Printemps and the Galeries Lafayette still keep the memories of the "crazy years".
Picture 10: Building on the 29 Avenue Rapp, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 11: Detail of the main door at 29 Avenue Rapp, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 12: Detail of the 29 Avenue Rapp façade, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 13: Registration of the Architect Lavirotte on the façade of the 29 Avenue Rapp Building, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Over the iconic Art Nouveau outlets in Paris, only four of thoses survived this glorious time, described by Emile Zola in "Women's Joy." In the 1900s, Printemps, Samaritaine, Bon Marché and Galleries Lafayette (Picture 14) were all found in the Art Nouveau style, according to Casevecchie (2014). The Samaritaine was virtually abandoned and the Bon Marché was luxuriously modernized. Only the Printemps and the Galeries Lafayette still keep the memories of the "crazy years".
When we enter this magnificent shop, we can admire, at the top, the 33m high glazing, inspired by Art Nouveau and Byzantine. The architect Fernand Chanut, in 1908, imagined this work consisting of ten faces of painted glass, enclosed in metallic armor, richly carved with floral motifs. For the balustrades, the lower floors, and the great staircase, Chanut called Louis Majorelle, who helped him to stand this glory.
Picture 14: Galerias Lafayettes floors, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 15: Galerias Lafayettes dome, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 16: Painting of the Galeries Lafayettes dome, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Just as Jules Lavirotte thought about human form during the conception of his projects, so did others in Paris of the years that followed. Inspired possibly in Art Nouveau, the curves drawn by Oscar Niemayer, Brasilien architect, traveled the world until arriving at the French capital, in the Headquarters of the Communist Party of France (1971) - Picture 17. These curves happened to comprise also the organicity of the forms of the "light city". This sinuosity is an almost allusion to the Baroque, when it comes to religious inspiration, or to Art Nouveau itself, when inspiration is the human and his relationship with the nature. The fact is that Niemayer, a Carioca, atheist, born at the height of the movement in 1907 and still in exile in Paris for more than 20 years, could not deny his Art Nouveau inspiration.
Picture 17: French Communist Party Headquarters, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Organic phytozoomorphic architecture has been present in Paris since the time of the "crazy years". Today we see the free form in the Cité du Design (2008), in the recently inaugurated Paris Philharmonie (2015) - Picture 20 - or even in the glamorous Louis Vuitton Fondation (2014) - Pictures 18 and 19. But the carved stone from the early 20th century gave way to contemporary materials capable of composing enormous beings like the beetle that Frank Gehry built on the Bois de Boulogne (Picture 18).
Figura 18: Main entrance of the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 19: Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 20: Philarmonie de Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
References:
WEBER, Eugène. France Fin-de-Siècle, Harvard University Press Cover. Boston, 1988.
CASEVECCHIE, Janine. Paris Art Nouveau, Hachette Livre, Éditions du Chêne. Paris, 2014.
Picture 14: Galerias Lafayettes floors, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 15: Galerias Lafayettes dome, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 16: Painting of the Galeries Lafayettes dome, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Just as Jules Lavirotte thought about human form during the conception of his projects, so did others in Paris of the years that followed. Inspired possibly in Art Nouveau, the curves drawn by Oscar Niemayer, Brasilien architect, traveled the world until arriving at the French capital, in the Headquarters of the Communist Party of France (1971) - Picture 17. These curves happened to comprise also the organicity of the forms of the "light city". This sinuosity is an almost allusion to the Baroque, when it comes to religious inspiration, or to Art Nouveau itself, when inspiration is the human and his relationship with the nature. The fact is that Niemayer, a Carioca, atheist, born at the height of the movement in 1907 and still in exile in Paris for more than 20 years, could not deny his Art Nouveau inspiration.
Picture 17: French Communist Party Headquarters, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Organic phytozoomorphic architecture has been present in Paris since the time of the "crazy years". Today we see the free form in the Cité du Design (2008), in the recently inaugurated Paris Philharmonie (2015) - Picture 20 - or even in the glamorous Louis Vuitton Fondation (2014) - Pictures 18 and 19. But the carved stone from the early 20th century gave way to contemporary materials capable of composing enormous beings like the beetle that Frank Gehry built on the Bois de Boulogne (Picture 18).
Figura 18: Main entrance of the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 19: Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
Picture 20: Philarmonie de Paris, France (Costa, 2015)
References:
WEBER, Eugène. France Fin-de-Siècle, Harvard University Press Cover. Boston, 1988.
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