Art is the Solution

The Art Nouveau style emerged in the late nineteenth century; it was primarily a decorative art movement, expressed in household items like dishes and lamps as well as in graphic art. Art Nouveau is typically characterized by a sense of movement, rounded, asymmetrical lines, and nature motifs, such as flowers and leaves. Because the Art Nouveau style is typically associated with items as opposed to large, well-known paintings, artists who produced Art Nouveau pieces tend to be overlooked or, in some cases, anonymized. This is because these decorative objects tend not to be valued in the same way that paintings and sculptures are. This disconnect impacts female artists disproportionately, as artists who produce these decorative objects tend to disproportionately be women. So, to celebrate the women who produced Art Nouveau objects, I want to share five female Art Nouveau artists you should know. Julie de Graag Julie de Graag was a Dutch artist who is known today for her woodcuts...

A few weeks ago I was doing some research one the Art Deco and Art Nouveau styles, and, as I browsed, I kept coming upon images of cats by Théophile Alexandre Steinlen. Steinlen was a French, Art Nouveau artist who is best known for his work on posters, advertisements, and illustrations. Tournée du Chat Noir Source: Wikimedia Commons I wasn’t very familiar with Steinlen’s work, but, after reviewing his catalog, I realized he was fascinated with cats from an artistic perspective. In fact, he is probably most famous for his advertisement for Le Chat Noir, a Parisian nightclub that was frequented by artists and other members of the bohemian movement. This poster— which, as you can imagine, features an image of a black cat— is now iconic and is commonly sold as a decorative print. Aside from that particular poster, Steinlen produced many drawings, paintings, and advertisements featuring cats. He even published a book of cat illustrations, which was entitled Dessins Sans Paroles ...