Art Nouveau as Avant-Garde: Redefining ‘Nature’ through Metamorphosis and Interrelationship
Introduction
Art Nouveau was an art reform movement of the late nineteenth century in France that sought to revive nature in response to the industrial standardization of art and design. The style emphasized values of craftsmanship, originality, efficiency, and especially ‘nature’, counteracting the trepidation of poor quality and uniformity of the fast-paced mass production. The approach to nature in Art Nouveau is distinctive from that of other art movements. Before the rise of Art Nouveau, the Arts and Crafts movement had a connection to nature in response to industrialization, but it portrayed the “truth of nature” capturing nature per se within the revival of medieval Gothicism. The architecture and design argued the moral and spiritual sincerity inhabited in nature itself, as a result, resisting the illusionistic depth and unnatural articulations that shunned the quaint characteristics. It distanced itself from modern materials and stuck to established observational depictions.
This project introduces that Art Nouveau involves metamorphosis and interrelationship as key principles that unify the construction with “design fitness,” incorporating utility and beauty. The process of “metamorphosis” elaborated deeply—the blending of natural inspirations and abstract principles into conceptual, speculative interpreted by the human mind. As nature began to be perceived as a malleable subject where the staging of human intellect can hold as a chief idea with flaws, exaggerations, and imagination, artists gained the freedom to from between certitude of nature to materiality. They interposed modern materials and machinery like glass and metal. It allowed them to portray organic forms in innovative ways creating an “interrelationship” between the artist with the benefit of its sturdiness and modulation that encouraged the metaphysical approach to construction and nature, rather than mere imitation. This radical shift in how the environment was perceived also influenced the spatial compositions in architecture, making spaces more open and efficient, allowing for greater flexibility in their expansion and retraction. What was defined as “Art Nouveau” was unified emphasizing sinuous, flamboyant lines, which became known as the “Art Nouveau lines,” demonstrating how the representation of nature had evolved, modernized, and been set free.
This article examines Art Nouveau as an avant-garde turning point that led to the emergence of Modernism, breaking free from traditional representations of nature and architecture. It unfolds metamorphosis and interrelationship as a key characteristic of Art Nouveau introducing them as a pinpoint where 'Nature' is no longer confined to floral patterns, plumage, or foliage. The process of metamorphosis—where nature and the human mind intersect—compares the notion of nature with the Arts and Crafts movement. Further details of that are varied through designs by Victor Horta (1861-1947) and Hector Guimard (1867-1942); wildlife, form, unity, material, space, styles etc., are reflected in noticeable architecture examples to support the definite approach, conveying diverse sentiments of inspiration while maintaining both efficiency and beauty. The Belgian Art Nouveau forms a tantamount on experience influencing the disciplines, as its distinct style was blended on modern concepts with exoticism and a political input drawn from the colonies.
Art Nouveau as a Response to Industrialization and a Return to Nature, A Comparison with Arts and Crafts
Art Nouveau can be considered as avant-garde, as it marked the first stage in the emancipation of decorative arts from the narrow conception of ‘nature’ and the looming threat of industrial mass production. It was the most widespread artistic movement throughout Europe in the late nineteenth century and originated in France. The Parisian art dealer Siegfried Bing (1838-1905) pioneered its name when he opened his newly decorated gallery at 22 Rue de Provence in Paris, which he named L'Art Nouveau.[1] The movement was characterized by its simplicity and sinuosity, modern materials, organic and asymmetrical decoration, yet its main character was to carry a strong expression of nature, contributing a new perspective to aesthetics by merging utility and beauty.
The movement's enormous popularity was not only aimed at the nobility but also reached the middle class, reflecting the unicity of social structure ramified by the modernism phenomenon: the expansion of middle-class forms of entertainment and the rise of department stores, signifying the new urban life of the
French nineteenth century. As the middle class grew, there was increasing demand for mass-produced furniture, which put pressure on traditional workshop production. This led to a decline in both quality and quantity, and deteriorating working conditions. [2] Industrialization and mass production posed a threat to the artistic integrity of the craft, but Art Nouveau rejected these developments. To combat these issues, Art Nouveau artists consulted artisans and manufacturers by creating models to renew the reputation of Arts and Crafts, and to elevate the design standards that aroused utility and beauty. There was a striking new emphasis on design“fitness” [3] a term coined by David Raizman (1951-2021) that resonated with consumers; the decoration was a part of the design to justify the purpose of the object. The designs broke away from past styles such as Classical, Gothic, and Renaissance influences that had coexisted until the 19th century.[4] Instead, it turned to nature for inspiration.
While the Arts and Crafts movement and Art Nouveau share a connection to nature, their approaches were different. The Arts and Crafts movement, which preceded Art Nouveau, shares a core motif with Art Nouveau as its initiated reform was also a response to industrialization. It sought design reforms that prioritized nature alongside social community values such as the joy of work, according to Raizman. [5] This was achieved by reviving Gothic ideals, drawing inspiration from the past, and emphasizing craftmanship, skill, and the artisan’s creative process. Designers such as John Ruskin (1819-1900) brought the moral values sought in the genuine representation of nature. This slow, labor-intensive process did not withstand the growing pressures of industrial production and tended to rely on exclusive buyers.[6] It differs in that Art Nouveau rejected academicism and traditional notions of art and nature, while the Arts and Crafts movement sought to revive them, embracing Gothic distinctions and values. Escaping this tradition—or rather, merging nature with industry might be seen as a violation of the purity of the natural realm.
Fig.1 “The Dryad’s Waywardness,” plate 59, John Ruskin, Modern Painters V, 1860 Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Yale University
The medieval revival influenced the perception of nature, by evoking limitations in their understanding of what constituted 'nature'. Ruskin’s revival of Gothic principles were rooted in his concept of the “laws of nature.”[7] He believed that artists should capture every detail and unique characteristics of plants, emphasizing that artists must be truthful and respectful of how nature is formed.[8] That is to say, adhering to the established nature would involve imitating the form and visual characteristics of plants as we observe them directly, because it is already a perfection created by the divine. This, he argues, would lead to a deeper moral and spiritual truth. His designs of nature remain solely through observational painting or drawings, showing his ideology supports the traditional methods of expression.[9] An example is his publication Modern Painters: Ruskin’s drawings of leaves and landscapes almost resemble scientific field sketches (Fig.1). He was repelled by false illusionistic depth or the overuse of materials that distorted the natural essence of nature, particularly when nature was depicted in artificial materials. He disapproved of portraying plants in metals or further manufactured materials, viewing such representations as deceitful, as if pretending to be something they were not.[10] In his The Seven Lamps of Architecture, Ruskin described two out of three architectural deceptions: one being “insinuated…representational,”[11] where surfaces or sculptures “represent some other material than that of which they actually consist, or the deceptive representation of sculptured ornament upon them”[12] and objected to the use of mechanical materials, arguing against the “use of cast or machine-made ornaments of any kind.”[13]
Art Nouveau also rejected mass production as it perceived industrialization as prioritizing uniformity leading to poor quality products. However, it adopted a more expansive and inventive approach of machinery, manufactured materials blurred the constitutions to nature, using nature not just as an ornamental tool but as a universal source of inspiration. Art Nouveau artists moved away from the restrictive conventions and literal depictions of botanicals, plumage, and foliage. Instead, they expanded their focus to include not only insects and exotic wildlife, but also more abstract, geometric, exaggerative, and individualized forms. Embracing a broader empathy for nature depictions, the movement resulted in artists producing their individualistic style, a contemporary and intuitive interpretation that signified design liberation over conventionalism.[14] This approach allowed for high levels of originality and sophistication, while still maintaining the high craftsmanship valued by the Arts and Crafts movement. To summarize, Art Nouveau sought to represent nature not by imitating it, but rather by transforming it through modern concepts into new forms. Moving far from the identicality of Ruskin’s theory of truth to organic nation, Art Nouveau can be described as a modern opening of nature.
The New Principles of Nature: Metamorphosis and Interrelationship
This movement clearly disrupted the notion of nature as realistic and logically observed. The research that Art Nouveau’s nature is different from the Arts and Crafts leads to the central argument that Art Nouveau democratized and modernized the notion of ‘nature’ This can be explained through the defining of ‘metamorphosis’ and the interrelationship that derived from it.
Commencing the new natural–abstract, personally connected characters–a stage of ‘metamorphosis’ marks a transformative step into modernity and relationship. This is where the designer goes through what makes each of them palatable and signature. Art historian James Grady uses this word to describe that this process is a “unique contribution in the late nineteenth century.”[15]
Fig 2 Wallpaper and Stairway of the Hôtel Tassel, Brussels, Belgium designed by Victor Horta, WikiArquitectura
This 'metamorphosis' can be understood as the process of translating and blending natural inspirations and abstract principles into new forms modified through the human mind. The involvement of intuitive metaphysics—how we feel, what is prominent, what is exaggerated, accompanied by a reflex action—reflects a perception that goes beyond logic, appearing as its own uniqueness, depending on how one senses it. In other words, the metamorphosis is different from a typical change or art technique. It incorporates the involuntary perception, the human instinct, or the stimulation that sparks a relationship, which is finding a specific species, a segment, a line, or a part from a whole to be fascinating. It results in an art of ingenuity, where now this extracted concept is a main catalyst of the design, not the initial observation of nature. This then leads to the malleability of nature representation branched in designers’ styles—since each artist was inspired by different aspects of nature and had distinct implications, their designs will deliver personal preference, and vision. Describing it as a 'metamorphosis' serves as a metaphor for the transformation—a shift from basic artistic observation to a modern art form rich with personal expression. If we view the past's exact imitation of a leaf as an immature form, then Horta’s Art Nouveau style inspired from the same, with wallpapers tracing swirling patterns, represents a more developed stage (Fig.2). It shows the designer's relationship and preference to that shape. The metamorphosis is located in between these stages of immature and modern showing how a human mind transforms an observation to a style.
Analyzing Architecture Examples of Belgian and Parisian Art Nouveau
This open-ended metamorphosis of nature and relationship can be detected in Belgian Art Nouveau architecture which tends to explicitly portray more heavy, abstract appearances. They were designed as unified expressions of spontaneity, integrated their interiors, furniture, shapes, and materials. The criteria for design became more flexible when designers such as Horta, and Henry Van de Velde (1863-1957) broke traditional norms about the size of spaces or the form of objects, leading unification to be the key component of the style.[16] Artists gained greater freedom to experiment with bold changes in form, space, and structure, which are, but not limited to, the alternating play of the spaces and considering light as an environmental composition. They also embraced modern materials such as metal and glass, leading to their attachment to abstract elements such as arabesques, curves, spirals, and organic shapes.
Fig.3 Stained glass of the Hôtel Tassel, Brussels, Belgium designed by Victor Horta, © www.admirable-facades.brussels
Fig.4 Winter Garden Dome of Hôtel Van Eetvelde, Brussels, Belgium designed by Victor Horta, © https://pascalsmet.prezly.com/
Fig.5 Detail of metal columns of the Winter Garden, Hôtel Van Eetvelde, Brussels, Belgium designed by Victor Horta,Wikipedia
Fig.6 Balcony railing of the Hôtel Tassel, Brussels, Belgium designed by Victor Horta, © www.admirable-facades.brussels
Fig.7 Plan of the ground floor, Rue Paul-Émile Janson 6,1925
© https://monument.heritage.brussels/
Horta convincingly uses metamorphosis and combines Art Nouveau characteristics into a singular consolidated architecture. The Tassel House, also known as the Hôtel Tassel, in Brussels, Belgium, powerfully embodies the metamorphosis of plant and flower studies through a variety of materials: metal, wood, marble, ivory, and glass. Using these modern materials, he takes a step further by focusing on the flow or gesture of plant materials and alleviating the extravagant disposition. For example, in a hotel stained-glass window, Horta transformed flowers and fresh leaves into a unified, figurative movement by a patterned movement of glass and metal rods. They convey the flamboyance of spring leaves with flowing, curved, and bold colored segments overlapped forming a mountain landscape-like mosaic. Bronze stems wind through the glass, accompanied by colored glass orchids and irises, their curvilinear lines creating a swirling effect (Fig.3).[17] In another creation of his, the Hôtel Van Eetvelde’s winter garden, features an octagon-stained glass dome strengthening Horta’s vision of intertwining glass and metal to metamorphosize nature and to allow the reception of light. The dome transforms the shape of a blooming flower, with bronze mullions stretching concentrically from the center like a Fibonacci spiral (Fig.4). From the oculus, shades of golden glass are patterned, resembling the pollen at the heart of a flower. Beyond the rhythm of glass and metal, Horta utilizes the metal columns as a canvas to portray the extensions of nature. Around the space on both the Tassel House and the Hotel Van Eetvelde, the metal columns connect the ceiling to the floor (Fig.4-5). Hôtel Tassel’s staircase features an iron column in a spiral pattern as its railings, and the roots show a leaf-like bud inspired by the stem of a flower.[18] Hôtel Van Eetvelde’s bronze tendrils end in metal flowers that hold small electric bulbs, reflecting Horta’s vision of nature’s transformation into architectural form.
Horta’s interrelationship with nature is consistently expressed through free-form, multidimensional lines, referred to as the “S-curve,” according to the Victoria and Albert Museum.[19] These lines are integral to his building's character and movement, embodying an organic form that metamorphoses the free-flowing idea of nature and the universe. In the Hôtel Tassel specifically, the metal tendrils and stems of the stair, balcony, and railings are framed by architectural supports, referred to the V&A as “whiplash,”[20] that visualize concave and convex asymmetry (Fig.6). The metal spiral form continues through the iron supports, and the sinuous lines continue through the walls and floors, forming ornamental details. These lines are not repeated in a logical or formulaic order; instead, each shape is individual, reminding the organic nature of the design and craftsmanship.[21] This approach resists the imitation of exact natural forms, allowing for more abstract and personal expressions of nature.
Another notable feature of Hôtel Tassel is its exquisite play of expanding and retracting spaces, breaking from traditional spatial conventions. The building’s layout challenges the classical arrangement of rooms, which were typically aligned in a linear corridor with walls dividing one room from another. In contrast, the Tassel House eliminates the corridors and numerous walls, creating a more fluid spatial experience (Fig.7). Tassel House divides the space into two main zones: one leading toward the staircase and another toward the garden. The main staircase connects the hallway to two large spaces. The rear of the house is accessible by a second staircase, which is set at a higher level than the entrance hall, further enhancing the dynamic feel of the space by narrowing the rooms as they extend back.[22]
Fig.8 Métro station Maison de la RATP à Paris, France, 1900-13 Designed by hector Guimard, Wikipedia
Fig.9 Entrance railing in detail, Métro station Métro Station Quatre-Septembre à Paris, France, 1900-13 Designed by hector Guimard, Wikipedia
Fig.10 Entrance to the Châtelet Métro station on Place Sainte Opportune, Paris, France, 1900-13 Designed by hector Guimard Photo by Chabe01
The Parisian Art Nouveau also demonstrated both principles in its interpretation embracing technology and machinery while achieving a seamless unity between architecture and furnishings down to the smallest detail. Not only amplifying the structures’ coherence, the style showed a strong dependence on nature coupled with individualized expressions using plant forms and gracefully spreading curves, inspired by the “S-curve.”[23] Guimard was influenced by Horta’s whiplash lines but also explored discursive relationships of nature and the environment. Through his expressionist approach, Guimard developed a system of applied ornamentation to assimilate nature’s organic charms into man-made prolifically utilizing cast iron and metal structures, which he termed “Style Guimard.”[24]
Guimard’s work integrated unconventional materials like cast iron with sinuous lines, ovals, and biomorphic shapes. He also strengthened his conceptual connection to nature by transforming tropical plants and insects into design elements. This can be seen in his famous design for the Entrance Gate to the Paris Métro station, where the iron-cast stalks, painted in brass, curve gracefully with amber bulbs that resemble the metamorphosis of “a beacon concealed within a large corolla.”,[25] according to Rheims. The railings feature intricate arabesques and loops that evoke both plant and insect forms (Fig.8). The looped, organic shapes of the Quatre-Septembre station entrance railing resembles the skeletal structure of tropical ferns or the exoskeleton of a beetle. The ceiling above the entrance of Place Sainte-Opportune spreads outward like the wings of a dragonfly or the petals of a tropical flower (Fig.9-10). Guimard’s unique rendering of detail alludes to nature without imprinting the source itself. These abstract and lyrical charms merge the structure with its surroundings, creating a visual harmony that connects the Metro entrance to the bustling urban landscape.
Positioned at a busy intersection, it presents both its purpose and modern aesthetic to the public. Showcasing the “Guimard style”[26] in the heart of Paris, the subway station where freedom of movement is central, suggests that this new Art Nouveau vocabulary is now stepping forward to engage a larger audience. Coinciding the inauguration of Paris underground system, the design reflects the artist, and the city’s transformation, breaking away from tradition. An eclectic, creative design being exposed around public, it aligns with egalitarian, decentralized Parisian urban life, where social classes intermingle—especially at a subway station.[27] It embodies the importance of efficiency and the expansion of middle-class society, celebrating the modern, dynamic spirit of Paris.
Conclusion
Art Nouveau represents a transitional point during the development of artistic and architectural movements because it reinterprets traditional conceptions of nature while anchoring the role of empathy and change. Moving away from the Arts and Crafts ideal of "truthful" or literal depictions of nature, Art Nouveau was emancipated from this confinement and applied, abstracted, and stylized forms derived from organic sources while embracing modern materials, compositions and methods. This movement realized atypical expression: the artistic freedom of reimagining natural forms using visual lyricism with structural innovation pioneered by artists such as Horta and Guimard. Though we cannot precisely identify the exact thought or natural inspiration that led them to create these masterpieces, it is evident that, although they are grouped under the same 'Art Nouveau' label, their styles and inspirations differ. This variation can be attributed to the stage, by the metaphor of metamorphosis that incorporates the human mind, stimulation, and personal affinity. Styles represented by the artists’ names and the openness to the influence of machinery and new manufactured materials further contribute to this distinction. Ultimately, in the way it emphasized nature, innovation, and modernity, Art Nouveau laid the groundwork for subsequent avant-garde movements to come and contributed to the emergence of Modernism. This is evidence of the revolutionary vision for how this movement could reshape the role of the decorative arts and architecture to welcome new social, cultural, and technological realities that nurture harmony and unity in the rapidly modernizing urban landscape.
Endnotes
[1] Morna O’Neill. “Rhetorics of Display: Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau at the Turin Exhibition of 1902.” Journal of Design History 20, no. 3 (2007): 213-219. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4540359.
[2] David Raizman, History of Modern Design (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003), 121
[3] David Raizman, History of Modern Design, 122
[4] O’Neill, “Rhetorics of Display,” 205.
[5] Raizman, History of Modern Design, 82
[6] Raizman, History of Modern Design,Ibid., 85
[7] Aidan Nichols. “The Seven Lamps Of Architecture.” In All Great Art Is Praise, 129. Catholic University of America Press, 2016. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt1hjb0cr.7.
[8] “Yale Center for British Art Presents ‘unto This Last: Two Hundred Years of John Ruskin.’” Yale Center for British Art. Accessed November 14, 2024.
https://britishart.yale.edu/news-and-press/yale-center-british-art-presents-unto-last-two-hundred-years-john-ruskin#:~:text
=In%20Modern%20Painters%2C%20John%20Ruskin,Cloud%20of%20the%20Nineteenth%20Century.
[9] Nichols. “The Seven Lamps Of Architecture,”129-133
[10]“Yale Center for British Art ‘Unto This Last’”, accessed November 14, 2024
[11] Nichols. “The Seven Lamps Of Architecture,”127
[12] Nichols. “The Seven Lamps Of Architecture,”127
[13] Nichols. “The Seven Lamps Of Architecture,”127
[14]James Grady. “Nature and the Art Nouveau.” The Art Bulletin 37, no. 3 (1955): 187–92. https://doi.org/10.2307/3047607.
[15] Grady. “Nature and the Art Nouveau.” 187-92
[16]Cybele Gontar. “Art Nouveau: Essay: The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History.” The Met’s Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, January 1, 2001. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/artn/hd_artn.htm.
[17] Sura Levine. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians 48, no. 3 (1989): 287–89. https://doi.org/10.2307/990434.
[18] Debora L. Silverman. “Art Nouveau, Art of Darkness: African Lineages of Belgian Modernism, Part I.” West 86th: A Journal of Decorative Arts, Design History, and Material Culture 18, no. 2 (2011): 150-152. https://doi.org/10.1086/662515.
[19] “The Whiplash · V&A.” Victoria and Albert Museum. Accessed November 14, 2024.
https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-whiplash?srsltid=AfmBOopF_6SkN6QhmfIl2iKrVME8-6YGGdbyAGC5N2XVlneaZp-cln Fo.
[20] The Whiplash · V&A. Victoria and Albert Museum.
[21] The Whiplash · V&A. Victoria and Albert Museum.
[22] Levine. Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 287–89
[23] The Whiplash · V&A.” Victoria and Albert Museum.
[24] Grady. “Nature and the Art Nouveau,”190
[25] Felipe Ferré, Hector Guimard, Maurice Rheims, and Georges Vigne. Hector Guimard. New York, NY: H.N. Abrams, 1988.
[26] Grady. “Nature and the Art Nouveau,”190
[27] Smithsonian Magazine. “Meet the Designer of the Fanciful Subway Entrances to the Paris Métro.” Smithsonian.com, December 28, 2022. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/meet-the-designer-of-the-fanciful-subway-entrances-to-the-paris- metro-180981369/
Bomi Park
Bomi Park studies Design History and Practice at The New School Parsons School of Design and Art History at the University of Sydney. Passionate about exploring the intersections of art, design, culture, and history through visual storytelling, she actively engages in diverse artistic endeavors across New York, Sydney, and Seoul. She writes for several magazines and pursues her curatorial ambitions through gallery internships, gaining hands-on experience in research, curation, and both traditional and contemporary artistic practices.