Art Nouveau in Art – Definition, Creators, Key Works, and Connections to Other Eras

Art Nouveau (known in Poland as secesja) was a breakthrough style at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Discover the definition of Art Nouveau, its history, main creators, areas of influence, top 5 works, and its connections to other eras.

What is Art Nouveau?

Art Nouveau (French for “New Art”, German: Jugendstil, Catalan: Modernisme, Polish: Secesja) is an artistic movement that was born as a conscious “departure” from the academicism, historicism, and eclecticism dominating the 19th century. The name “Secession” (used in Central Europe) comes from the Latin secessio – meaning “withdrawal” or “departure” – which perfectly reflects the rebellion against the rigid canons of academic art.

Art Nouveau sought to create a new, modern style that:

– rejected the copying of old forms (Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque),
– combined high art (painting, sculpture) with applied arts (furniture, glass, jewelry, architecture),
– drew inspiration from nature – plants, vines, waves, marine organisms,
– was based on fluid, undulating lines (“whiplash lines”) and rich ornamentation.

The most important characteristics of Art Nouveau include:

– plant and organic motifs (lilies, irises, grapevines, peacock feathers),
– dynamic, winding lines instead of rigid symmetry,
– a fluid combination of function and decoration (e.g., balconies, railings, and lamps as works of art),
– the pursuit of “total art” (Gesamtkunstwerk) – designing the entire interior, from the facade to the door handle.

When did Art Nouveau arise?

Art Nouveau developed at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, roughly from the 1880s to around 1910–1914, with its main flowering between 1890 and 1910. Its roots go back to the English Arts and Crafts movement, which opposed mass industrial production and defended artistic craftsmanship and high-quality execution.

Several important dates for the development of Art Nouveau:

– 1880s – the first forms foreshadowing the style appear (including Arts and Crafts in England),
– approx. 1890–1893 – the first clearly Art Nouveau buildings and designs in Brussels (Victor Horta),
– 1897 – founding of the Vienna “Secession” (Sezession) association, which gave the movement its name in German-speaking countries and Poland,
– 1900 – The Paris World Exposition, the moment of peak popularity for the Art Nouveau style.

After World War I, Art Nouveau quickly fell out of fashion, replaced by simpler, geometric styles – primarily Modernism and Art Deco.

Main Creators of Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau was not a uniform style – in every country, it took on a local variation and its own name. Despite the differences, several key artists can be identified who defined this movement:

– Gustav Klimt (Austria, Vienna) – the central figure of the Vienna Secession, creator of symbolic, often erotic compositions with gilded, decorative backgrounds, such as “The Kiss”.

– Alphonse Mucha (Czech Republic/France) – master of decorative posters featuring female allegories; his poster “Gismonda” (1894) for Sarah Bernhardt became an icon of Parisian Art Nouveau.

– Antoni Gaudí (Spain, Barcelona) – the most outstanding representative of Catalan Modernisme, architect of organic, fantastic structures such as the Sagrada Família, Casa Batlló, and Park Güell, combining elements of Gothic and Art Nouveau.

– Victor Horta (Belgium, Brussels) – pioneer of Art Nouveau architecture, author of the Hôtel Tassel, considered one of the first fully Art Nouveau townhouses.

– Hector Guimard (France, Paris) – creator of the famous entrances to the Paris Metro, which became one of the most recognizable symbols of Art Nouveau.

In Poland, Art Nouveau in art and architecture was strongly linked to the Young Poland (Młoda Polska) movement. Key creators include Stanisław Wyspiański – author of Art Nouveau stained glass and polychromes (e.g., in the Franciscan Church in Kraków) – and Józef Mehoffer, creator of monumental stained glass windows, such as those in the Fribourg Cathedral.

Where did Art Nouveau develop? Main Centers

Art Nouveau was an international style, covering a significant part of Europe and North America. The most important centers were:

– France – Paris (Art Nouveau),
– Belgium – Brussels (Horta and other Art Nouveau architects),
– Austria – Vienna (Vienna Secession and Gustav Klimt),
– Germany and German-speaking countries – Jugendstil (Munich, Darmstadt, Vienna),
– Spain (Catalonia) – Barcelona (Modernisme, Gaudí),
– Poland – Kraków, Lviv, Łódź (architecture and painting of Young Poland),
– Czech Republic – Prague (Mucha, Secessionist architecture and decoration),
– United Kingdom, Scotland – continuation of Arts and Crafts themes and local variations (Glasgow Style),
– United States – selected architectural and decorative realizations inspired by the Art Nouveau style.

In each of these regions, Art Nouveau took on a local character, but everywhere it was united by the belief in the possibility of “beautifying” everyday life through art.

Top 5 Art Nouveau Works

1. “The Kiss” – Gustav Klimt (1907–1908)

Technique: Oil on canvas with gold leaf
Location: Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna
Movement: Vienna Secession

“The Kiss” is one of the most recognizable paintings in the world and a symbol of Art Nouveau – a romantic scene of an intertwined couple immersed in the decorative, gilded ornamentation typical of Klimt’s “Golden Phase”.

2. “Gismonda” Poster – Alphonse Mucha (1894)

Technique: Lithographic theater poster
Client: Sarah Bernhardt
Premiere location: Théâtre de la Renaissance, Paris

The poster for the play “Gismonda” in 1894 launched the so-called “Mucha Style” in Paris. The slender, monumental figure of the actress in rich robes, surrounded by Art Nouveau ornamentation and decorative typography, became the model for the Art Nouveau poster.

3. Sagrada Família Basilica – Antoni Gaudí

Location: Barcelona, Spain
Status: Basilica, one of the most important works of Catalan Modernisme and Art Nouveau

The Sagrada Família combines late Gothic verticality with the organic, undulating forms of Art Nouveau. The facades are full of symbolic, plant, and animal ornamentation, and the interior resembles a stone forest, perfectly fitting the style’s reverence for nature.

4. Hôtel Tassel – Victor Horta (1892–1893)

Type: Urban townhouse
Location: Brussels, Belgium
Status: UNESCO World Heritage site, one of the key realizations of Art Nouveau

Hôtel Tassel is one of the first fully Art Nouveau buildings in the world. Horta used a steel structure, glass skylights, and an open floor plan, filling the entire space with plant-like ornamentation, creating a model example of Art Nouveau architecture—both in the facade and in the details (railings, mosaics, door handles).

5. Stained Glass “God the Father – Let It Be” – Stanisław Wyspiański (1904)

Technique: Stained glass
Location: Franciscan Church of St. Francis of Assisi, Kraków

The monumental stained glass window depicting God the Father creating the world is considered one of the greatest works of Polish Art Nouveau and one of Wyspiański’s most significant achievements. The dynamic silhouette, expressive gesture, and innovative, geometricized plant forms combine symbolism with Art Nouveau decorativeness.

What eras does Art Nouveau connect to?

Although Art Nouveau was born as an opposition to the historicism and eclecticism of the 19th century, its creators consciously referenced earlier eras, transforming them in a modern way.

The most important connections of Art Nouveau are:

– Gothic – particularly visible in architecture (Sagrada Família, many Art Nouveau churches and tenements) through Gothic inspirations: soaring forms, rose windows, and the role of light and stained glass. In Gaudí’s work, the Gothic transforms into organic, Art Nouveau naturalism.

– Rococo and Baroque – Art Nouveau inherited a love for ornament, opulence, and striking decorations, but replaced old motifs with modern ones based on flora and fauna.

– Symbolism – Klimt, Wyspiański, and Mehoffer all eagerly used symbolic, often metaphysical content (love, death, nature, religion), combining it with Art Nouveau decorativeness.

– Medieval Art (stained glass, illumination) – Polish and European Art Nouveau stained glass developed the medieval tradition but in a new formal language. This is clearly visible in Wyspiański’s stained glass in Kraków.

At the same time, Art Nouveau became a bridge to modernity – it paved the way for the simplicity of lines in Modernism, the geometric forms of Art Deco, and the idea of designing “from the spoon to the city”, meaning the comprehensive shaping of space and everyday objects. Thanks to this, Art Nouveau remains one of the most recognizable and attractive styles in history – combining the decorativeness of past eras with modern thinking about function, material, and the role of art in everyday life.