Period & Style Antiques
Whats the Difference Between Art Deco and Art Nouveau?
Although people often confuse these terms, and both tend to incorporate geometric shapes, Art Deco and Art Nouveau are different movements from different time periods that relate to different world events. Art Nouveau was in reaction to the Industrial Revolution, from roughly 1880 to the start of World War I. It embraces the European industrial aesthetic of the time and incorporates naturalistic forms that are highly stylized and geometrical. The Eiffel Tower and the work of Gustav Klimt are prime examples. Art Deco came after World War I, amid the Jazz Age from the Roaring Twenties up through the Second World War. Its emphasis on geometric shapes was a bolder, more streamlined aesthetic, including zigzags and wide curves. The Chrysler Building exemplifies Art Deco.
Are Arts and Crafts Typically Made by Amateurs?
Actually, the Arts and Crafts movement of fine and decorative art was an international phenomenon in Europe and North America from roughly 1880 to 1910, simultaneous to the Art Nouveau movement. Unlike Art Nouveau, which embraced industrialism, the Arts and Crafts movement was more romantic and supportive of social and economic reform. It heralded simplicity, often nodding to medieval and folk styles, using traditional methods of craftsmanship. Although "arts and crafts" can refer to elementary school art and DIY projects, these have nothing to do with the historical Arts and Crafts movement.