05 January 2011

Jugendstil & Poached Pears Wrapped in Chocolate Mousse :)


In truth, a little Art Nouveau goes a long way. Characterized by organic shapes, curvilinear, sinuous lines and stylized, flowing elegance, the Art Nouveau movement in interior decorating, jewelry, tableware and architecture started in Paris and swept through the world in the late 19th century. Breathing new life into the art world and rejecting the prevailing academic approaches, the movement was dubbed Jungendstil, for "young style" in German.

Today interiors are are simpler, cleaner, perhaps more rustic, sometimes elegant, to say nothing of eclectic. We have moved away from decorative embellishment. The visual shock of an Art Nouveau element might be just what is in order to kick a little life into some of our more predictable rooms. Think of a small wall area covered in a beautiful William Morris wallpaper in an entryway, or an incredible Art Nouveau gilt mirror over an austere concrete or rustic limestone fireplace mantel surround.

I have seen the incredible Art Nouveau architecture all over Paris, and would love to see the Secessionist Building in Vienna. It was built to house the stunning works by the young group of artists who broke ranks with tradition in the 1890's: Gustav Klimt, Josef Hoffman, Joseph Maria Olbrich and others. Their beautiful mantra "To every age its art and to art its freedom" is inscribed in stone over the entrance of the Secessionist Building.




Metro gate in Paris, circa 1903, one of hundreds installed
in Paris in the early 20th century, showcases the organic,
curvy, stylized flowing curvilinear lines of Art Nouveau



silver coffee service Vienna fin de siecle, Art Nouveau style



cover of first edition of magazine
of the Jugendstil ("youth-style") period when
Secessionist artists broke away
from traditional academic art and
started the bridge to modernism, 1898



stylized ornamentation found on the side of
the Successionist Building designed by Joseph Maria Olbrich
and built in 1897 for exhibitions of Secessionist art



lettering for "Ver Sacrum" appears on the front of
the Secessionist Building



a sinuous Otto Wagner staircase,
Stiegenhaus, Vienna, 1898



the fanciful "tattoo style" Majolikahaus, designed by
Otto Wagner, Vienna, 1898



a Metro station in Paris today



William Morris Ianthe wallpaper



Poires Pochées (poached pears) au Chocolat Noir

this dessert is elegantly Art Nouveau, non?
the recipe can be found at Les Recettes de Markus Neff blog
(in French... get your French friends involved here!)


***


a fin de siecle fish with bubbles drawing
by Koloman Moser 1898


***



17 comments:

  1. mmmm..poached pears in chocolate mousse....it looks so wonderful...I should have served that at my New Years day dinner....hope you're enjoying the new year.. maureen

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  2. O Yes - Wien - the town of Jugendstil!

    Best regards from
    *Tasiaa

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  3. What a fantastic selection of pics! Adored this post! Xoxo

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  4. Beautiful post Kit, beautiful pics to inspire some new year creativity. The lines of art nouveau seem like the Mozart of archtecture to me; such movement and energy. Thanks for the intro to another wonderful blog...

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  5. My mouth is watering right now and I'm on sensory overload!

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  6. poached pears and chocolate mousse???? this is unreal... and thanks for the tip on jacque... he is my hero... i met him once in nyc and cried...
    who cares about brad pitt! he he

    wishing you peace, happiness and loads of love this year sweet friend!!!
    xx

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  7. Oh my Kit, how delish can this be, just sounds and looks decadent!

    xoxo
    Karena
    Art by Karena

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  8. Beautiful post , beautiful pics to inspire some new year creativity with zest!!
    hugs
    lila

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  9. Wonderful post!...I love the silver service, and that last picture is is charming. It would make a fabulous stationary header....k

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  10. What a gorgeous selection of pictures!
    That staircase is breathtakingly beautiful. Imagine having that in your house. *sigh*

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  11. kit, thanks so much for your kind comment. I really appreciate your taking the time to write me...

    what a treat it is to be back here! can't wait to get back to blogging!

    happy new year and love, donna

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  12. ...traigo
    sangre
    de
    la
    tarde
    herida
    en
    la
    mano
    y
    una
    vela
    de
    mi
    corazón
    para
    invitarte
    y
    darte
    este
    alma
    que
    viene
    para
    compartir
    contigo
    tu
    bello
    blog
    con
    un
    ramillete
    de
    oro
    y
    claveles
    dentro...


    desde mis
    HORAS ROTAS
    Y AULA DE PAZ


    COMPARTIENDO ILUSION
    CHIC PROVENCE

    CON saludos de la luna al
    reflejarse en el mar de la
    poesía...




    ESPERO SEAN DE VUESTRO AGRADO EL POST POETIZADO DE ALBATROS GLADIATOR, ACEBO CUMBRES BORRASCOSAS, ENEMIGO A LAS PUERTAS, CACHORRO, FANTASMA DE LA OPERA, BLADE RUUNER Y CHOCOLATE.

    José
    Ramón...

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Kit..I just awarded you the Stylish Blogger Award...for more info check out my blog post..
    happy weekend..
    maureen

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  14. Brilliant post. Nice dose of freshness.

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  15. Dearest Kit ..... I absolutely love Art Nouveau style and I definitely agree a gorgeous embelished mirror hanging over a streamlined wall is just what it needs. Perfect contrast! I am so grateful for your concerns in regards to the flooding here in Queensland but it is actually worsening as Brisbane is about to flood and last night there was flash flooding in western towns of Brisbane. It is so lovely to visit you as things are quite dire here.
    I wish you a very Happy New Year Kit and all my best wishes
    Frances

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  16. Après avoir suspendu son activité pendant de longs mois, le laboratoire va pouvoir enfin reprendre ses publications sur son site officiel.

    ReplyDelete

I would love to hear what you think! merci!

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