1. MODERNISM 5: ART NOUVEAU & JAPONISME
We can see this object is very beautiful, smooth. The surface is shiny and attractive. We can see the ‘feather motif’ at the top. The overall vase is an interesting, curved shape.
Louis Comfort Tiffany,
Vase, glass,
Art Nouveau was an influential modernist movement spanning about
The artists of this period were very interested in decoration and beautiful forms,
usually derived from Nature. This vase takes its inspiration from a peacock feather.

2. REVIEW OF SYMBOLISM
Where did it come from? What were its characteristics?
Symbolism was a child of Romanticism. It was NOT like Impressionism, which sought to describe everyday life. Rather it was concerned with the subjective; the personal; the inner world of the artist. What can we make of this image?
It’s mysterious; puzzling. There is practically no face. What does this tell us? That the face is not really important. What is it a picture of? A white rounded form, with transparent edges, like a veil or mist. We can see a hand, definitely. Is the figure asleep? Or even dead? It’s impossible to tell. What clues can we get from the background? None whatever. It’s not exactly a bright, happy picture….it’s moody. Intense. We don’t really know what’s happening, although the title gives us some idea. First communion a Catholic religious ceremony, occurring generally when one is about 10 years old. What kind of world is the artist describing here? Perhaps the religious experience? Ecstasy?
Eugene Carriere, The First Communion,
oil on canvas,65cm x 53cm, c

3. An idea was more important than a realistic depiction of Nature.
Interest in birth; death; the Spiritual; beauty; innocence; dreams. Often has a sense of being ‘out of time’ – contrast with Impressionists.
Flattening of the ‘window on the world’ illusion provided by linear perspective.
Interest in surface; decoration; association with literature/stories.
What difference can we see here between the techniques Redon has used, and say the Impressionists? Again, the figure is much more simply modelled than Neoclassical works of a little earlier.
Odilon Redon, Pandora, oil on canvas, 143cm x 62cm, c. 1914

4. Careful modelling of the form; blended brushstrokes; balanced and
Remember what Neoclassical
art looked like….
Jaques Louis David, Death of Socrates, 1787
Careful modelling of the form; blended brushstrokes; balanced and
harmonious composition.
We can see the careful modelling, and clarity in the image. What do we mean by ‘modelling’? You can see the muscles and curves in the form…you can sense the solidity and the 3-dimensionality of the figure. It is meant to maintain the illusion of a real figure. It is balanced and has a sense of care about the way it is created. The brushstrokes are smooth and blended.
Batoni, Diana and Cupid, 124cm x 172cm,
1761

5. Characteristics of Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau was influenced by Symbolism. Impressionism had been interested in describing things truthfully; even scientifically. Symbolism had other priorities, which resulted in new ways of creating images. Art Nouveau pushed this further.
Scenes from everyday life were not valued as they had been in Impressionist art. In Art Nouveau, a sinuous curve was a common feature. As with Symbolism, there was much less interest in the realistic treatment of skin and form. Aspects of design became of more important.
What can we say about this image? It was created as an oil painting – look at the scale in the citation – but was made into a Poster for advertising the play ‘Joan of Arc’. How is it different from images we’ve seen before? It’s asymmetrical (influence of Japanese art). Less modelling; designs and patterns are very important. Lots of curves in it. Look at the hair for instance. The flow of the cherry blossoms. The margins of the poster. The titling down the bottom.
Alphonse Mucha, Maude Adams as Joan of Arc, 1909,
208 x 76cm, oil on canvas

6. With Art Nouveau there was a blurring of
boundaries between fine arts (traditionally this was architecture; painting; sculpture ) and applied (or decorative) arts : jewellery; furnishings; design; ceramics; graphic arts. There was a desire to regard all these art
forms as equal, rather than the fine arts being seen as superior. Artists were interested in entire environments of certain style.
This was a period when industrial production (along with the middle class) was increasing rapidly. Shops stocking Art Nouveau objects became more widespread…the Art Nouveau style was popular across Europe and USA (called Jugenstil in Germany; Sezessionstil in Austria; Stile Liberty in Italy; the Glasgow style in Scotland.) They each had different styles.
What do we mean by ‘industrial production’? Basically we mean moving towards mass-production and objects created by machine (or at least partly by machine) rather than totally by hand in a studio. This did not apply to all art nouveau objects but it was a trend.
William H Bradley, Thanksgiving No. from The Chapbook 1895, journal cover.

7. Also, advertising and signage were becoming more widely used
Also, advertising and signage were becoming more widely used. Bearing in mind the increase in industrial production, how might this affect our Conceptual Framework? (That is, the relationships between artist, artwork, audience and world…)
If an artwork becomes an industrially-produced sign, rather than a single art object owned by a patron, then how does this alter the relationship? It is not an exclusive, unique object .
The artwork –or the design, as we would probably think of it – is exposed to MANY people at the one time, rather than simply those who come into a Gallery to see an artwork. Remember photography is becoming more and more widespread at this time also. So the look of it becomes much more influential. The style of Art Nouveau became international much more quickly than any art movement before it. Also, there is not an exclusive relationship between artist and artwork. It is not a single thing you hold in your hand.
Alphonse Mucha, Nature, gilt bronze, silver, marble,
amethyst, 69 x 27 x 30; c.1900
Hector Guimard, Metro signs Paris, c. 1900

8. In art nouveau architecture, materials of wrought iron, glass and steel were being used in new ways.
Natural forms were “freed from roots and gravity” as never before, becoming part
of a design.
(Meggs, 1998,p.183.)
Clip on Art Nouveau architecture:
Victor Horta (Belgian, , stair way of Tassel House, Brussels 1893

9. Rene Lalique, Dragonfly woman corsage ornament, 23 x 26cm, 1897-8,
Gold, chrysoprase, enamel, moonstones and diamonds.
Both women and dragonflies were favourite motifs of Art Nouveau, influenced by Japanese art.

10. Rene Lalique, Peacock pectoral, 1898-90, 9cm x 19cm, gold, enamel,
Opals, diamonds.

11. JAPONISME – the influence of Japanese art
In the second half of 19th cent there was an increase in trade and communication between Japan and Europe/USA. Up till then, Japan had existed in deliberate isolation from the West (except for some selected contact.) This gave Japanese art a chance to develop a strong, unique national character.
Hiroshige, Station of Otsu,
woodblock print,
How is this image different from European art of the same period? Is is very simple description….block colours….expressive, but almost cartoon like. The point of view is on an oblique and from above – we started to see artists using this point of view from 1860s or so onward (Pissarro; Monet.) – Japanese artists such as Hiroshige were influential on European artists.
Note that this image is concerned with everyday and contemporary life. This approach greatly influenced the Impressionists.

12. Toulouse-lautrec, Moulin Rouge:
La Goulue, colour lithograph
poster, 1891.
We can see some similarities between this artwork and the Japanese prints. What are they? Very simplified shape but interesting shapes; use of wide tonal variations; lack of modelling. Very flat. Use of text.
Printmaking techniques from Japan became popular (woodblock prints). Around this time, the colour lithograph became available. This is a drawing created on a stone which multiple prints can be taken from at relatively low cost. This allowed the poster to be created – an important development for advertising.

13. From 1860s on art from Japan became very popular, not just as 2-d artworks, but on furniture, textiles etc. Images from everyday life; images of people from the theatre; prostitutes; erotica; and also landscape art. These styles influenced the Impressionists; post-Impressionists; Symbolists; Art Nouveau.
Mary Cassatt, Maternal Caress, etching, 36cm x 27cm 1891
Mary Cassatt is associated
with the Impressionists, and
here shows the direct
influence of Umaro’s
artwork coming to France in
late 19th cent.
We can see here the influence of a Japanese print on American Mary Cassatt, who was associated with the French Impressionists.
Utamaro, Midnight,
Hours of the Rat, mother
and sleepy child,
woodblock print 1791

14. RESOURCES
Metropolitan Museum of Art Heilbrunn Timeline on Art Nouveau:
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC, Art Nouveau Education site:
Meggs, Philip B. A history of Graphic Design. 3rd edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc., P. 183.
Magnificent collection of Rene Lalique’s work: Museu Gulbenkian:
Alphonse Mucha:
Metropolitan Museum of Art Heilbrunn Timeline Essay on Japonisme

15. EXAMINING THE EXAM Hand-out: first two pages of an HSC exam.
Today is the START of you having a go with the HSC questions. You need to get familiar with the rubric – the instructions; the way they ask questions; etc.
Don’t be worried if you don’t feel you’re any good at it to start with. You will improve with practice.
We will approach these questions working with each other, so we can help each other improve. PLEASE WRITE DOWN other peoples responses to these questions to help you when you’re reading it later.
Today we’ll look at an example of a Question 1 and a Question 2….question 2 is obviously more involved and worth more marks.

16. Q 1: How has the artist represented King Henry VIII in this painting?
TAKE 5 MINUTES WITH YOUR NEIGHBOUR: What can we say about this painting?
Consider the Conceptual framework – esp with regard to relationship between ARTIST AND AUDIENCE/ ARTIST AND HIS WORLD The artist; the year; the subject.
Note shape of figure in the painting – how dominating; how big. He is clean; well polished
How is he positioned with regard to the viewer? He is facing us head on. Very…un apologetic. His posture?
Note how he is dressed; the details; the finery. Many layers…rich fabrics; jewellery.
Size of the work? Not huge…
What about the actual art-making? It’s painted smoothly; realistically. The face and hands are carefully modelled. Is it a dramatic painting? There is a lot of visual interest in the details. It makes our eyes linger…why?
Plate 1: Hans Holbein the Younger, (1497–1543, Germany) Portrait of Henry VIII, 1539 – 40,
oil on panel, 88.3 x 74.9 cm, Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica, Rome

17. Q 2: How are ideas about cultural identity represented in these photographs?
What is happening here? Be careful to look at the citation. What does it tell us?
It is an Australian artist and the work is contemporary.
It is a photograph.
What is the first thing we notice? A weird and unexpected juxtaposition of carpet and forest floor.
Note we are told about the carpet design, so obviously it is important in answering the question. What do they say about the carpet? They locate it in time and place. Mid century. Australian.
REMEMBER WHAT THE QUESTION ASKS US TO THINK ABOUT: ‘CULTURAL IDENTITY.’ – what does this mean?
It means the artist has some ideas about what it meant to be in Australia in mid 20th century.
It’s talking about the attitudes of people (the artist; the viewers) in a particular time and place. The artist and the audience are here in Australia, in the 21st century (as is the image.) – the carpet reflects a cultural object from middle of 20th century.
What the hell does carpet have to do with culture????? What does carpet do? Makes us more comfortable. Keeps our tootsies warm…and OFF THE GROUND. We lose touch with the ground.
More luxurious. It is a furnishing, and will have a style; a fashion. The carpet has some sort of design on it….What do such decorations do? They provide status.
Does the carpet ‘improve’ the landscape? It could raise questions regarding our presence in the landscape. Do we make things better? Or do we ruin things, ruin Nature by our presence? What might the carpet do for us, if we were walking in this landscape?
We could say that the artist is raising questions about how we can lose touch with nature…how our lifestyle choices may impact on the landscape…she could be describing how people since colonisation have made the landscape ‘our own’, and written our own stories onto the Australian landscape.
What about the colours used? Can we get anything from that? The landscape is especially dark green and lush. What does this say? Fertility; growth; nature. What might the red of the carpet symbolise? It could talk about the blood shed by Aboriginal as well as white people during the colonisation of Australia.
What about the artists artmaking practice? What can we note about that? Photographer; idea of photography being some sort of documentation. Does that apply here? Note her saturated colours…everything is bright and clear and eye-catching. Does this have any connection with what we can recall about landscape painting?
Plate 2: Rosemary Laing, b. 1959, Australia groundspeed (Red Piazza) #2, 2001 type-C photograph, 110 X 205 cm
Note: Red Piazza was a carpet pattern popular in Australian homes and
entertainment venues in the mid twentieth century. Note: Laing’s photographs are not digitally manipulated.

18. We may recall the convention of landscape painting
We may recall the convention of landscape painting. We may recall talking about ‘romanticising’ and ‘idealising’ the landscape…making it more or better or more beautiful or more dramatic than it actually, literally was. Like the previous image, this one is saturated; beautiful. Does this have any relevance to this question?
Instead of some beautiful object in the landscape, like a picturesque ruin or calm body of water, we are confronted with a burning wreck.
What significance might a car have in the outback? What does having a car in the bush mean? It is an indication of human habitation of some kind.
A car can mean the difference between life and death out there. It’s not been used recently though…it’s a ruin, like the carcass of a large animal. The fire probably didn’t start by itself though…? So was it vandalised, and if so then by whom?
The title ‘unnatural disasters’ makes us think. The description is odd. Is this some kind of a log or report? Do we take it that this image documents something that has happened, and the artist has simply ‘been there’? Or has the artist actually created this disaster herself? (This is most likely.) So she has created this for us. It is an intervention, like the carpet in the landscape.
And who decides what is ‘natural’ and ‘unnatural’?
And ok, the car has been torched. It doesn’t look like it’s been driven recently as there are no wheels. Would we really call it a ‘disaster’ then? Probably not….so there may be something else to this. What about petrol sniffing? That’s pretty disastrous. Or….perhaps we could consider cars as transport…what they are doing to the environment generally?
When we talk about ‘natural disasters’ we talk about fire, flood, drought etc. Fire is a natural occurrence in the bush and allows for rebirth and growth of bush etc. This fire is likely to be merely polluting though…it will do nothing for the environment.
Plate 3: Rosemary Laing, b. 1959, Australia one dozen unnatural disasters in the Australian landscape #2, 2003 type-C photograph, 110 x cm