Art Nouveau was an international movement but really had an impact on the U.S. It mainly spread to the United States by its two central American designers, Louis Henry Sullivan and Louis Comfort Tiffany. Both of these designers spent time studying design in Paris, France, the hub of Art Nouveau. They loved the techniques Art Nouveau had to offer for their mediums and so, they implemented them into their designs.
Nature was the main focus of Art Nouveau and each artist used it as he saw fit. Tiffany used lamps, glass, and jewelry to convey it, while Sullivan decided to look into interiors and exteriors of buildings for his canvas. The abstract yet symmetrical shapes in both designers' work are the highlight and make for very eye-catching pieces. Tiffany worked with vibrant colors and intriguing patterns, while Sullivan preferred the flora inspired curlicues. Yet these two were very similar. Both studied in Paris for a while, and both rejected historical precedent, just as Art Nouveau suggests.
Tiffany and Sullivan had such an impact on this movement in America that they are the two figures that define the American Art Nouveau movement. Sullivan became the "father of skyscrapers" and one of the greatest pioneers of modernism. One of the greatest architecture-isms comes from Sullivan, 'form follows function.' Tiffany has created one of the biggest and most successful businesses, Tiffany & Co. People still use jewelry and accessories created by this company to show off wealth.
Design Examples:
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| Auditorium Theatre in Chicago built by Alder and Sullivan. |
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| Interior of the Auditorium. |
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| Carson Pirie Scott building storefront designed by Sullivan. |
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| Stained glass magnolias created by Tiffany. |
Current Applications:
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A gold and diamond necklace made with more than 350 pieces,
by the current Tiffany & Co. |
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A staircase rail that could have easily been inspired by Sullivan's
Carson Pirie Scott building. |
One Step Further:
Louis Comfort Tiffany was a great influence to all and became a worldwide icon. His company, Tiffany & Co., is still very much alive and thriving today. Movies, documentaries and galas have all played a role with this company and people's fascination with it. By exploring the Tiffany & Co. website, one can find which jewels are trending on the Red Carpet right now. Tiffany became the first official design director in 1902 of this company and established the Tiffany Artistic Jewelry Department. The website also offers a look at the Blue Book, the first mail-order catalog for jewelry in the U.S. To broaden horizons, Tiffany & Co. now offers fragrances and home accessories. However, their products are not priced for the average home owner.
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These cups from Tiffany & Co. are made of bone China paper.
One cup starts at $95. |
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| This cashmere baby blanket starts at $450. |
Amber, great summary of the works of Sullivan and Tiffany. They both contributed so much to American architecture, which is evidently seen today. Thank you for sharing the works that Tiffany & Co does today. I looked on their website and they have rich quality design, which explains why they are so expensive. Indeed, these are not prices for the average home owner.
ReplyDeleteAmber, I appreciate how you said that Sullivan was the pioneer of this architecturism "form follows function". Through this statement we can tell that the Arts and Crafts movements had an influence on the Art Nouveau movement everywhere, because during the Arts and Crafts movements, architects were more focused to design building and more specifically rooms based on needs.
ReplyDeleteAmber,
ReplyDeleteOnce again you have provide us with a comprehensive summary of Art Nouveau in the U.S.
including and focused on the works of Louis Henry Sullivan and Louis Comfort Tiffany.
I appreciate your descriptions of the characteristics of their design processes. Although both were inspired by nature, as was the Art Nouveau movement, each designer show cased these details in different ways.
Your summary of Tiffany was very interesting and shows the longevity of the influence of this worldwide icon!
I also appreciated your visual images that show cased the characteristics of this movement.