Art Nouveau – Canvas prints

History lesson with art nouveau canvas prints

Viewed by some as the first self-conscious attempt to create a distinctly modern style, art nouveau as an art movement steadily developed across Europe and America, and can be seen to this day in paintings, sculptures, jewelries, and so on. The seductive drawings of Aubrey Beardsley, the curvaceous architecture of Victor Horta and, most importantly, the ornate poster designs of Alphonse Mucha, are some of the most familiar examples of the unique art nouveau style. To know more about this movement is vital because it will allow you to make your selection of art nouveau canvas prints easier, not just in terms of aesthetics but also so you can answer the questions that are guaranteed to come your way. First off, art nouveau simply means new art in French and was a movement that lasted from the 1880s until the First World War and pervaded all aspects of the aesthetic world, particularly architecture and the graphic arts. Interestingly, although the stylistic movement ended over 100 years ago, true art nouveau designs are still visible today. You can see this in the art nouveau canvas print titled "Galleria Sciarra, Rome", a wonderful piece that will lend your room sophistication and visual weight.

Defining attributes

In its time, art nouveau was known as revolutionary and even controversial, and therefore its popularity sky-rocketed especially among those who wanted to be in and following the latest trends. Taking its main inspiration from the natural world, art nouveau canvas prints include delicately organic forms, eccentric geometry and flowing, sinuous curves. This is partly due to the art nouveau movement being inspired by the illustrations and studies of biologists. A lot of the artwork on which art nouveau canvas prints are based on, mimic and exaggerate those peculiarities found in nature. Furthermore, most of these images are flowing, wherein they repeat the wavy shapes and turns often. You will be seeing plenty of this, especially when we cover the works of Alphonse Mucha, one of the most prominent protagonists of this particular style of art.

Art nouveau canvas prints and their central figure

Photowall's main advocate in art nouveau canvas prints is the Czech painter and decorative artist named Alphonse Mucha, who was best known for his distinct style and his images of women. Around Christmas 1894 in Paris, where he had moved to in order for him to continue his studies, Mucha happened to drop into a print shop where there was a sudden and unexpected need for a new advertising poster for a play starring Sarah Bernhardt, the most famous actress in Paris during that period. Mucha, who worked as a graphic artist at that time, volunteered to produce a lithographed poster within only two weeks. Bernhardt was so satisfied with the success of this play, partly due to the appeal of that poster, she entered into a contract with Mucha. Mucha's works frequently featured beautiful, strong young women in flowing vaguely Neoclassical looking robes, often surrounded by lush flowers which sometimes formed halos behind the women's heads. Take for instance "Alphonse Mucha - Art Noveau", a stunning art nouveau canvas print that can put your room into an extraordinary level of room decor. There is a multitude of Mucha's work in art nouveau canvas prints, each one marvelous and the most perfect focal point to put up in a space.