ART NOUVEAU

The current vogue for art nouveau should find further stimulus in this elegant book, which treats the movement as a recognizable and fully-developed style taking its chronological place between historicism and modern art. The evolution of the style and the varieties of media to which its decorative qualities were adapted have been illustrated in over 450 black and white plates and pictures and 12 color plates, all of which have been well chosen and are excellent reproductions. The text defines the qualities and structure of art nouvcau design, and the ramifications of its characteristic line. The style is traced to its origins with William Blake and influences from Rossetti and the Japanese artists up to its flourishing as a decorative art throughout Europe and the United States. This is a thorough and fascinating treatment of art nouvcau as a legitimate art from as well as an indication of the tastes and civilization of the West at the turn of the century.