Nouveau or Deco?
Discussing how Art Nouveau transformed into Art Deco and how to distinguish them…
One of the perennial questions from students on my Art History courses is, “What’s the difference between Art Nouveau and Art Deco?” Well, there’s a simple answer that lacks accuracy and an accurate answer that’s not that simple. Basically, Art Nouveau and Art Deco are decorative styles signified by typical motifs and the periods in which they were created.
Art Nouveau is dominated by flowing forms adapted from the observation of nature, such as the sensual intertwining curves found in vines or the spirals of unfurling ferns, often incorporating floral patterns and animal forms. The term ‘Art Nouveau’ was first used to describe the work of a group of artists exhibiting in Brussels in the early 1890s that identified as the ‘The Twenty’ or Les Société XX. The style was dominant in Europe and is indelibly associated with the period known as La Belle Époque, which ended with the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.
Art Deco also features natural forms but tends to dramatically simplify them, often to a level of abstraction, and introduces cleaner geometric aspects. Deco initially grew out of the Paris fashion scene and incorporated the aesthetics of Modernism, with initial influences from Cubism and Futurism. The label of ‘Art…
