A New Style for A New Age

A New Style for A New Age

At its height exactly one hundred years ago, Art Nouveau was an attempt to create an international style based on decoration. It was developed by a brilliant and energetic generation of artists and designers, who sought to fashion an art form appropriate to the modern age. During this extraordinary time, urban life as we now understand it was established. Old customs, habits, and artistic styles sat next to new, combining a wide range of contradictory images and ideas. Many artists, designers, and architects were excited by new technologies and lifestyles, while others turned back to the past.

Art Nouveau was in many ways a response to the Industrial Revolution. Some artists welcomed technological progress and embraced the artistic possibilities of new materials such as cast iron. Others disapproved of the poor quality of mass-produced machine-made goods and aimed to raise the decorative arts to the level of fine art by applying the highest standards of craftsmanship and design to everyday objects. Art Nouveau designers also believed that all the arts should work in harmony to create a “total work of art”: buildings, furniture, textiles, clothes, and jewelry all conformed to the principles of Art Nouveau.

Paris was the most important artistic center in Europe at this time, and many key developments in the formation of Art Nouveau took place there. From the mid-1890s, works by emerging young designers were exhibited at Bing’s gallery, Maison de L’Art Nouveau. And the city hosted the World’s Fair of 1900, which also helped to bring Art Nouveau to center stage. At this time Hector Guimard, perhaps the most prominent Parisian Art Nouveau designer was commissioned to design entrances for the city’s new subway system. With their organic style and use of cast iron for both structural and decorative purposes, they are among the most famous icons of the Art Nouveau style. Artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, also connected with Art Nouveau circles, was particularly active in the graphic arts. His posters for cafe-concerts such as the Divan Japonais reveal the influence of Japanese art in their strong outlines and bold, flat patterns.

Brussels was also at the center of the development of Art Nouveau: many of its earliest and most important creations were either made or exhibited in the city. At this time Brussels enjoyed a new prosperity from the wealth it had gained during the Industrial Revolution and Belgium’s colonial expansion in Africa. The city underwent great change, and Art Nouveau became the style most representative of the transformation. In 1893 Victor Horta, the leading architect-designer in Brussels, designed Tassel House, the first fully developed example of architecture in the Art Nouveau style.

Although Art Nouveau was not generally embraced in England, the style developed in exciting new directions in the Scottish city of Glasgow. Elements of vigorous industrialism, modernity, and ethnic pride all played their part in the particular strain of Art Nouveau that emerged there. The work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and other artists and designers of the Glasgow school is typified by a linear restraint. Inspired by Japanese art, they introduced into their designs a strict geometry, along with stylized plant and figurative forms.

Art Nouveau in Vienna was known as the Secession style after Viennese artist Gustav Klimt led the city’s progressive artists and designers into forming the Vienna Secession group in 1897. Members of the group broke free from the restrictions of existing Viennese art establishments by breaking down the barriers between art, design, and craft. Influenced by the geometry of the Glasgow school and the simplicity of Japanese design, the work of the Viennese designers is characterized by a restrained linearity and elegance.

22 Từ Vựng Nâng Cao:

1. Contradictory (adj) – /ˌkɒn.trəˈdɪk.tər.i/ – containing or showing ideas that are in opposition to each other – Mâu thuẫn, trái ngược.
2. To embrace (v) – /ɪmˈbreɪs/ – to accept something enthusiastically – Đón nhận, chấp nhận (một cách nhiệt tình).
3. Craftsmanship (n) – /ˈkrɑːfts.mən.ʃɪp/ – skill at making things – Tay nghề, sự khéo léo (trong nghề thủ công).
4. To conform to (phr. v) – /kənˈfɔːm tuː/ – to behave according to the usual standards of behavior that are expected by a group or society – Tuân theo, làm theo.
5. Principles (n) – /ˈprɪn.sə.pəlz/ – a basic idea or rule that explains or controls how something happens or works – Nguyên tắc, quy tắc.
6. Formation (n) – /fɔːˈmeɪ.ʃən/ – the process by which something comes into existence or is created – Sự hình thành, sự thành lập.
7. Emerging (adj) – /ɪˈmɜː.dʒɪŋ/ – starting to exist or become known – Mới nổi, đang hình thành.
8. To exhibit (v) – /ɪɡˈzɪb.ɪt/ – to show something publicly in a place such as a museum or art gallery – Trưng bày, triển lãm.
9. Prominent (adj) – /ˈprɒm.ɪ.nənt/ – very well known and important – Nổi bật, trứ danh, lỗi lạc.
10. To commission (v) – /kəˈmɪʃ.ən/ – to formally choose someone to do a special piece of work – Ủy nhiệm, giao phó (thực hiện một tác phẩm).
11. Structural (adj) – /ˈstrʌk.tʃər.əl/ – relating to the way in which parts of a system or object are arranged – (Thuộc về) kết cấu, cấu trúc.
12. Prosperity (n) – /prɒsˈper.ə.ti/ – the state of being successful and having a lot of money – Sự thịnh vượng, sự phồn vinh.
13. To undergo (v) – /ˌʌn.dəˈɡəʊ/ – to experience something that is unpleasant or something that involves a change – Trải qua, chịu đựng (một sự thay đổi).
14. Transformation (n) – /ˌtræns.fəˈmeɪ.ʃən/ – a complete change in the appearance or character of something or someone – Sự biến đổi, sự thay đổi hoàn toàn.
15. Representative (adj) – /ˌrep.rɪˈzen.tə.tɪv/ – typical of, or containing the same properties as, a particular group – Tiêu biểu, đại diện.
16. Vigorous (adj) – /ˈvɪɡ.ər.əs/ – very forceful or energetic – Mạnh mẽ, đầy năng lượng, sôi nổi.
17. Modernity (n) – /məˈdɜː.nə.ti/ – the condition of being modern – Tính hiện đại, tinh thần hiện đại.
18. To be typified by (phr. v) – /ˈtɪp.ɪ.faɪd baɪ/ – to be a typical example of something – Là ví dụ điển hình của, được đặc trưng bởi.
19. Restraint (n) – /rɪˈstreɪnt/ – calm and controlled behavior – Sự tiết chế, sự kìm nén, sự kiểm soát.
20. Stylized (adj) – /ˈstaɪ.laɪzd/ – drawn, written, or performed in a particular style that is not natural – Được cách điệu hóa.
21. Progressive (adj) – /prəˈɡres.ɪv/ – developing or happening gradually; supporting new ideas and social change – Cấp tiến, tiến bộ.
22. Elegance (n) – /ˈel.ə.ɡəns/ – the quality of being graceful and attractive in appearance or behaviour – Vẻ thanh lịch, sự tao nhã.