Week 4- Art Nouveau II

 This week in History of Interiors and Furnishings II we learned about Art Nouveau again. In America the two most influential designers for the movement were Tiffany and Sullivan.  

Louis Comfort Tiffany was a designer of the decorative arts, educated in New York City at the National Academy of Design. He was gifted in many arts including painting, jewelry making, pottery, and glass! Mr. Tiffany is the founder of the one and only Tiffany and Co. that still exists today! 

In 1885 the business concentrated on stained glass art. In America this meant producing lamps shades as well as stained glass windows in churches and homes. In churches these were religious related depictions, while in homes this it floral or landscapes. While in France semi-abstract forms were more prevalent and were sold by Samuel Bing. These stain glass creations were carefully curated from glass and metal.  


(Original Tiffany and Co. Lamp) (Modern Tiffany and Co. Lamp)



Louis H Sullivan originally studied at MIT, eventually ending up in Paris at Ecole des Beau-Arts. Sullivan helped in the rebuilding after the devastation of the Chicago Fire. This was probably the start of his nickname “father of skyscrapers”, where he desired to create a new contemporary style of architecture with the use of Art Nouveau ornamentation. 

Sullivan believed that form follows function, was a pioneer for modern style, and mentored Frank Lloyd Wright. Being dissatisfied with his architectural studies in France he moved to Chicago where he became known for his personalized style filled with rich ornamentation. He partnered with Dankmar Adler to create offices, a hotel, and even an opera house! As the Art Nouveau style encourages, Sullivan was inspired by nature and used materials such as steel and terra cotta to create unity within skyscrapers.  


(Original Schlesinger & Mayer) (Modern Target)


 


One Step Further: 

The architect I chose to talk about this week is Jaume Back Nunez who is from Barcelona and founded Bach. He both has his PhD and is a professor, where he combines architecture and urbanism since 1968. In 2023 he worked to restore and preserve the beautifully historic 1902 Art Nouveau Casa Alesan commissioned by Dolors Alesan. The ornately adorned building remains purely Art Nouveau on the exterior with a contemporary twist on the interior.  

 







https://archeyes.com/casa-alesan-transformation-by-bach-architects-art-nouveau-meets-modern-living/ 

https://bacharquitectes.com/casa-alesan/ 

https://bacharquitectes.com/practice/ 

 

 

 

Comments

  1. KatieFebruary 13, 2025 at 9:41 AM

    You wrote a great summary of the Art Nouveau style and its key features! I like how you highlighted Tiffany and Sullivan's unique contributions. I also really liked your One Step Further and how you talked about a modern architect using the Art Nouveau style.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lena Fehrenbach February 13, 2025 at 9:22 PM

    Great post, Sami! I love how you connected Tiffany and Sullivan’s work to modern designs!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Professor VanderNoordaaFebruary 15, 2025 at 1:09 PM

    Sami,
    Excellent Blog post that featured the work of Tiffany and Sullivan. I appreciated the images of the original work and more contemporary versions of either the building or the lamp. Tiffany lamps have not changed much and are still popular today. It still bothers me that Sullivans building is now a "Target". Jaume Back Nunez was a great person to focus on. I appreciate his preservation work so much. Thank you for a great Blog. 50/50

    ReplyDelete

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