After Class 03/05/10

Art Nouveau was a movement about creativity, invention, and pushing the "norm." Many art movements and styles have been an extension of another type, but Art Nouveau really wanted to push the envelop with the new ways of creating, designing, and using materials in art. The style reached all avenues of design; architecture, furniture, typeface, and posters. It began in France, and spread across Europe and eventually to America by means of Harper's magazine. The style was " organic, linear, and imaginative." The famous burlesque house of "Moulin Rouge" had posters designed that represented the Art Nouveau movement. Henri de Toulouse-Lautree designed the poster style for Moulin Rouge. Vincent Van Gaugh and Paul Gaugin were also influenced by this style. Across the pont in America, Louis Rhead advertised in Harper's magazine with "vibrant unexpected color combinations" It was an "eclectic style" like no one had ever seen before them. What I think is most interesting about this style is the colors of of the posters. It doesn't have the "natural" feel like designs of the "arts & crafts" movement, yet it is not uncomfortable. It looks NATURAL, just not so heavily relied on NATURE. I really enjoy the beautiful posters. It has a simplistic quality, yet we can tell it is not because the colors are so vibrant. It really is attention-grabbing. I would be curious to know more about where the posters were seen generally. Would they only in Paris? Was America's exposure to this style only in magazines?