Our Artist Spotlight often features pieces from the first half of the last century. This collection from Renaissance Man Antiques offers work that inspires the beginning or the seasoned collector. Jaeger's business, Renaissance Man Antiques, is like a candy store for anyone collecting and seeking information about male figurative art from the early 20th century. So we were delighted when Jaeger contacted us to see if he could help with more material for our galleries.
Representative artists sought to elevate the decorative arts to higher standards and to apply such standards to all forms of art including furniture, textiles, glass, wallpapers, architecture, as well as clothing and jewelry. In the United States, Art Nouveau, as a description, became synonymous with these media that carried its decorative style. The 'S' curve was a signature motif - organic, flamboyant and erotic - suggestive of the sophistication of cigarette smoke, the sensuality of flower stems, or sinuous vines and tendrils. For these reasons, some critics described the Art Nouveau aesthetic as feminine. Art Nouveau often embraced the spirit world, fantasy and myth, and representative artists often portrayed naked or scantily clothed women, perhaps as nymphs or mermaids, in fantastic settings.
No, not Gustav Klimt. It used linear, plant-like forms, and drew from science, nature, mythical history, gender, and modernity for inspiration. People called it, simply, Art Nouveau. Literally, new art.