The quintessence of Art Nouveau is the curved, supple lines derived directly from nature and first emerging in the 1890s. In England, as with its direct predecessor the Arts and Crafts movement, came the rejection of mass production and the adoption of the sinuous, natural forms that were to dominate Art Nouveau design. Thus, the increased prevalence and popularity of Arts and Crafts ideas abroad and the inspiration of the various nationalistic revivals of the period culminated in the Art Nouveau style.
As Art Nouveau was linked inexorably to regionally specific revivals, such as the early Nordic art revival in the Scandinavian countries, this post will focus on the English Nouveau designs with their naturalistic and Gothic revival influences. Most importantly, England Europe . In addition, the moralising influence of the Arts and Crafts movement was more explicit and unfiltered in its impact on subsequent design; it did not undergo the modifications experienced when ideas move away from their culture of origin.
Significant too was the English expectation of the approaching changes in domestic setting and popular requirements. Since the middle of the 19th century, English designers had been producing furniture that had unsophisticated forms and purposeful structure. Opinion had moved away from the veneration of stylistic imitation to the adaptation of the traditions of the past, thus inspiring such re-appraisals as the Neo-Gothic movement.
Accordingly, at the turn of the century the most important furniture designers were the beneficiaries of the most groundbreaking 19th century developments. The designer Charles Francis Annesley Voysey (1857-1941) was an architect trained using the guidelines espoused by William Morris. His work was inspired by his reading of the Tudor tradition but, in contrast to Morris, he did not reject the concept of mechanisation. Voysey believed the industrialisation of production should be welcomed as an altruistic force that could bring good-quality products to a wider public audience. Despite this philanthropic attitude, Voysey’s move towards ‘naturalness’ often lead to oversimplification and a primitivism that did little to appeal to the public.
Consequently, the Art Nouveau period in England
In contrast, the style identified as Art Deco attained its peak in the interval between the two World Wars. It followed almost directly after the Art Nouveau period and worked as an unequivocal veer away from the natural, complex floral forms to modernised, clean angular lines. Following the seminal Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels (1925) in Paris
Indeed, the advent of Art Deco signified the arrival of the first all-encompassing fashion that could be adopted regardless of budget. In addition, the advances in new technological communication resulted in an almost uniform, quickly spreading style in direct contrast to the distinct regionality and exclusivity of the Art Nouveau designs.
Moreover, in further contrast to the Art Nouveau Movement, Art Deco was the essence of modernity. Although earlier styles were modified for contemporary use, the Art Deco approach was not dependant on revival or the need to explore historical aspects of design to qualify itself. Art Deco was a volte-face away from a ‘diseased society that had chosen to massacre its youth across the battlefields of the Somme ’[1] to something that was pure, primal and preferably non-European.
However, the impact of the rapid mechanisation of the war years should not be underestimated as an influence on the production techniques, the adoption of new materials and machine based design-styles it invoked. Now, the patterns on tea services echoed the shape of an aeroplane wing and new bakelite radios imitated car radiator grills in an attempt to emphasise the desire to look towards the future via new technology.
For the purposes of this essay, the Art Deco furniture and design qualities studied for a direct comparison will be English. Although there was no substantial regional variations within Art Deco designs, retaining the focus on English furniture means that ‘like is being compared with like’.
In England Paris
In the early Thirties, Russel was joined by his architect son R. D. Russel and machinery was subsequently introduced to the manufacturing process with designs being modified for the mass market. Outlines were simplified and made increasingly geometric and therefore, quite logically, the pieces that were produced became far more modern in their characteristics.
Accordingly, although Art Deco defended the value of craftsmanship, it recognised, accepted and benefited greatly from the advancements in manufacturing. As a result, while Art Nouveau could be intense, multifaceted and congested, Art Deco was fresh and clean. The designs were also flexible enough to adapt in a period of unparalleled change.
