April 1

Research and ideas

Art Nouveau or 'New Art' (most popular between 1890 and 1910) is a style of art that has stretched over various mediums: architecture, paintings, stained glass, textiles, etc.

The style is inspired by nature, mainly plants and flowers, yet it is often combined with geometric shapes... almost like roses growing out of a bird cage.  You probably recognize a few pieces below that come up in a general Google search.  'The Kiss' by Gustav Klimpt, which may be the most recognized, was actually inspired by Art Nouveau and was in an art movement of its own, Vienna Secession.  Though I quite like Klimpt, I would like to focus more on  Alphonse Mucha's style.

Alphonse Mucha was a Czech painter and illustrator who lived in Paris during the Art Nouveau period.  He is said to be a pioneer of modern graphic design by the Mucha Foundation.  "Best known for his theatre posters for the super-star French actress Sarah Bernhardt and decorative panels featuring graceful women with flowers, Mucha’s distinctive graphics became a hallmark of the international Art Nouveau style, which spread across Europe and America around 1900. His design ideas, demonstrated in his wide range of works – from posters and book illustrations to jewelry and packaging designs – influenced not only his contemporaries but also new generations of graphic artists, including today’s comic artists as well as commercial designers. " (https://muchafoundation.org/) He was certainly a graphic designer of his time.  Many of the elements he used are what I use today in my own graphic design.

Mucha would sometimes create triptychs, 3-paneled designs.   This works out well as my room divider has three panels.

As many of you know, I love my two cats... and I have frankly loved felines my entire life.  After looking through my art history books and online, I wondered about using the Art Nouveau design with my own cats as the subject.  

I'm obviously not the first person to think of this idea as there were many examples found online...  Here is a scrapbook of colors, designs and ideas that will help me develop my own.

You can jump to a specific date by using the drop-down at the top of this site.