As I have been researching Mackintosh, I also decided to see what the result is if I ask for Art Noveau masks. Many linear silhouetted masks came out, taking the vine-like organic structure of this style as guide.
Art Nouveau= Art should be employed in everyday life be part of it, in symbiosis, unable to exist without it.
Dionysus= gaiety should be part of our everydays, letting go of restraints.
Muse leather cut out mask in gold by TomBanwell on Etsy
"Rooted partly in the Industrial Revolution, and the Arts and Crafts Movement, but also influenced by Japonisme and Celtic designs, Art Nouveau was given a major boost by the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris.
There is no single definition or meaning of Art Nouveau. But the following are distinguishing factors. (1) Art Nouveau philosophy was in favour of applying artistic designs to everyday objects, in order to make beautiful things available to everyone. No object was too utilitarian to be "beautified". (2) Art Nouveau saw no separation in principle between fine art (painting and sculpture) and applied or decorative arts (ceramics, furniture, and other practical objects). (3) In content, the style was a reaction to a world of art which was dominated by the precise geometry of Neoclassical forms. It sought a new graphic design language, as far away as possible from the historical and classical models employed by the arts academies. (4) Art Nouveau remains something of an umbrella term which embraces a variety of stylistic interpretations: some artists used new low-cost materials and mass production methods while others used more expensive materials and valued high craftsmanship."
I found some Art Nouveau Bronzed Venetian Wall Masks on ebay. It is up to each to decide just how related they feel it is to the artistic style, but one fundamental part is there, the application of beautiful metal (often of gold, natural, warm brown hues)
From the seller: "Dynamic, undulating curved lines charcterize the essence of the Art Nouveau Style. This beautiful Art piece has been created by Cold Casting Resin with a Bronze finish, a technique reproducing that special look once found with bronzes of yesteryear. [...] Each piece is uniquely hand made, and the designs copyrighted by Veronese."
The special langueur of the Art Nouveau age is attractive through its aged beauty, the promise of history and secrets. Purely bewitching is its nostalgic quality, even though we only imagine it to be such (imagining ourselves to have been part of the era to which decadent Art made such a difference). That is why even today we see so many replicas.
My favourite of these masks is the Butterfly Lady above, elegant with a simplistic beauty. That's what I feel I would like to aim for.
Natalia Pierendrei's artwork
More to come later!
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