easy to imagine you’re gazing on a Zen garden, a subtle endorsement of the Japanese influences of the time.
Johann Loetz Very is little known about the master glassmaker who gave his name to the glassworks, aside from the fact that he was born in Austria and founded the Loetz glassworks in 1840 in Klostermühle, Bohemia, an area in what is now the Czech Republic.
was used in numerous figurines during the movement, and one of the most intriguing aspects of these collectables is the symbolism they encapsulate.
Art Nouveau flourished in a time of immense social and academic change. The Origin of Species by Sir Charles Darwin (1859) was in its infancy and still seen as a radical way of thinking; Marconi transmitted the first radio signals across the Atlantic in 1901; women still did not have a right to vote.
This statue demonstrates why Art Nouveau is considered to bridge the gap between neoclassicism and modern art, depicting a nymph from Roman/Greek mythology with a lacklustre attitude towards covering her modesty. E. Barrias This statue named “Nature Unveiling Her Secrets” by E Barrias encapsulates the burgeoning carefree attitude of women at the time; a symbolic portrayal of women being freed from the stifling confines of Victorian fashion and society. With multi-hued tones of the bronze, so characteristic of the opulent taste found within the Art Nouveau movement, nature is personified as a young woman revealing her bare breasts from under a draped shawl, under which she bears her intriguing modesty, emerging as if from a cocoon.
Mathurin Moreau Mathurin Moreau (1822 - 1912) came from a distinguished family of artists in France. Here we see L’Aurore, meaning ‘The Dawn’ in French; a nubile winged nymph by the side of a column.
Loetz were pioneers of the surface technique known as Marmorisierte. This style of marbled glass gave the appearance of various semi-precious stones in the surfaces of bowls and vases. For those who are lovers of Art Nouveau but not necessarily floral motifs, these are an excellent choice. An all-together different medium favoured amongst artists of the Art Nouveau period was bronze. Bronze
Whether your appreciation lies in the elegantly beautiful glassware or the bronze figurines that will add both beauty and a delicate touch of symbolism to any art collection, one thing is certain; now is the time to invest in some Art Nouveau.
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