L Art Nouveau En France

Winner, 1990 Berkshire Conference Book Award Art Nouveau in Fin-de-Siecle France: Politics, Psychology, and Style explores the shift in the locus of modernity from technological monument to private interior. It examines the political, economic, social, intellectual and artistic factors, specific to late 19th century France, that interacted in the development of art nouveau.

Rarely has a subject been served by a book of this stature. Five years in the making, it covers all aspects of Art Nouveau in France in 624 authoritative pages and 740 illustrations. Arwas traces the evolution of the movement as it developed, primarily in Nancy and Paris, with the help of carefully chosen illustrations, many never published before. Ranging from the 1900 Paris exhibition to paintings, graphics and posters and such collecting fields as furniture, jewellery, ceramics, book bindings and sculpture, the informative, witty text ranges over architecture, haute couture, and the role of women in Art Nouveau with a particular look at such theatrical icons as Sarah Bernhardt, Loïe Fuller and the Grandes Horizontales. Destined to become the standard book on the subject, both content and design will appeal widely to the connoisseur, the specialist and the collector, as well as to the novice who will be introduced to the magical wonders of the style.

First published in 1998. Design reform in the fields of architecture and the decorative or applied arts became objectified through writings published during the period of 1885 to 1910. This investigation includes, but is not limited to, Art Nouveau in France and Belgium, and the arts and crafts movement in England and the United States. Even though the similar processes of creativity and shared goals of Art Nouveau and the arts and crafts movement have long been recognized, attempts to explore their origins and their points of interrelation with the broader scope of art history have been largely unsuccessful—until now.

"This book, a full-scale treatment of Mucha's entire oeuvre, includes discussions and reproductions of paintings, posters, decorative panels, pastels, drawings, photographs, jewelry, and illustrations from throughout his career ... 248 color plates, 112 black-and-white illustrations"--Dustjacket.

"L'art nouveau, an artistic movement of a highly eclectic nature that developed in the late 19th century, took its lead from such diverse sources as Japanese art or the medieval revivalism of the Arts and Crafts. Perhaps in no medium was it better represented than in pottery, whose technical possibilities allowed for great freedom of expression. This richly illustrated dictionary, with glossary and select signatures, lists over 1,100 artists, ceramists and firms that participated in the creation of Art Nouveau ceramics in France, the melting pot of die new aesthetic."--Page 4 of cover.