The Influence of Art Nouveau on My Artistic Journey
Something sparked in my soul as a young girl the first time my parents took me to visit the Cleveland Museum of Art. At every turn there was something mesmerizing…. from the hall of armor to the room that held the Monet Water Lilly painting that was bigger than i could imagine. But it was in those visits I honed a love for the Art Noveau era, with soft curves, and vivid color.
Louis Comfort Tiffany was the first artist that appealed to me with his variety of mediums worked in. Best known for his stained glass work, he was classically trained as a painter but found his greatest voice when he discovered his passion for glass. As an aside, if you ever find yourself in Orlando Florida take a day and drive to Winter Park, a suburb of Orlando. There is a hidden treasure of the largest collection of Tiffany’s works in a museum on the small liberal arts college in the town.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec got my attention with his bold and vibrant advertising posters of french life – scenes of the Moulin Rouge, or a French café captured a part of Paris that seemed dangerous,
Alphonse Mucha discovered his voice through commercial posters and advertisements, often featuring beautiful women. I remember in the early 70s as a gift exchange i received a calendar featuring his work and melted with eagerness to turn the page to see the next month’s art, Mucha’s work has become a feature of my silk painting. Mucha often featured Sara Burnhart, a celebrity of his day, in his work, and was best known for his posters advertising Moet and Chandon Champaign . Mucha drew his inspiration from the Arts and Crafts movement which swept art school of the late 19th century. Discovering amazing Japanese woodblock prints with sweeping lines, florals and bold graphics.
Gustav Klimt was a rebel, After graduating art school he and several of his peers began a much coveted assignment of painting the frescos of the Vienna Opera House. They chose to add naked cherubs which was both their downfall in this assignment and the launching pad for their careers. Gustav garnered popularity among the wealthy and became the foremost painter of portraits of the Viennese elite The best known painting of his was titled “Adele Bloch Bauer” which many refer to as “The Woman in Gold”. Capturing the wealth and opulence of this young Viennese socialite his painting featured a lot of gold and textures in the outfit that echoed mystery. I have a vivid memory of my version of the painting. The scarf was hung front and center in our tent at an art fair, An elderly woman gravitated to the painting, and came back several times over the weekend. We talked a lot about Gustav, and the intriguing history of the painting, and why I chose to try to paint my version of it on silk. She came back 5 minutes before the festival ended, and said she must have the scarf. As she handed me the credit card I saw it – the tattoo of numbers she was assigned in the German death camp somewhere in Europe. It was interesting how deeply my version of his work spoke to her history, and her heart.
You must be logged in to post a comment.