Menten, Theodore.

Art nouveau decorative ironwork : 137 photographic illustrations / selected by Theodore Menten.

New York : Dover Publications, 1981.

126 pages : chiefly illustrations ; 29 cm

Around the trn of the 20th centry, artists and craftsmen throughout Europe and America were profoundly affected by a new art style which took its inspiration from nature. Generally referred to as Art Nouveau, it exerted its influence on painters, illustrators, architects, ironworkers, furniture designers, interior decorators, potters, jewelry designers - in fact, nearly every kind of artist-craftsman. While Art Nouveau is a broad and varied style, it is almost uniformly characterized by abstract, asymmetrical, curvilinear design. The thrust of this "new art" was twofold: to elevate the status of the "crafts" to equals and partners of the "fine arts"; and to bring a designed object into a harmonious relationship with its environment through the use of lines - either expressive or controlling - which were natural, vital, and, most importantly, organic. Among the most imaginative realizations of these pervasive rhythms and serpentine patterns was the ironwork which was created during this period and still exists in major European cities (chiefly Paris and Brussels). Gates, railings, balconies, doorways, staircases, elevator cages, gilles, lampposts, and many other architectural features reveal the sinuous forms, foilate motifs, expert craftsmanship, and rich detail characteristic of the style. No other existing work documents so extensively and accurately the full range of Art Nouveau ironwork. Derived from now unavailable sources, this new anthology attests to the enduring qualities of both the design and its constructive material. Graphic designers, illustrators, architects, artists, and craftspeople of all disciplines will discover numerous ornamental ideas, authentic motifs, and design solutions among the 137 copyright-free photographic illustrations. Collectors and enthusiasts unfamiliar with this particular area of Art Nouveau will delight in the exquisite crafsmanship, ornamental felicities, and juxtaposition of strength and beauty as they observe these unyielding iron creations fashioned into delicate germinating buds and wandering tendrils. Captions for the photographs provide the building, city, architect, and designer of the ironwork. These latter include such notables as Victor Horta, Paul Hankar, Louis Majorelle, Charles Plumet, and Emile Robert. Their work and that of many others is preserved in this fine selection of photographs. -- from back cover.

0486239861 (pbk.)
9780486239866 (pbk.)

Ironwork History 19th century.
Decoration and ornament Art nouveau.
Ferronnerie Histoire 19e siècle.
Décoration et ornement Art nouveau.
Ironwork.

History.

Location: Library main 143596
Call No.: 8797; ID:87-B18445
Status: Available