Art Nouveau arose in the late 1800s as a reaction to the strict Greek and Roman classical ideals that had dominated much of the nineteenth century. Decorative elements and a focus on nature are typical of the Art Nouveau movement in painting during this time period. Many artists worked in the Art Nouveau style, but Gustav Klimt, Henri Matisse, and Alphonse Maria Mucha were among the most well-known. While these artists had distinct styles, they all used decorative patterns and natural forms that are common in Art Nouveau paintings. The use of women as subject matter was another prominent feature of Art Nouveau painting and graphic arts.
Gustav Klimt, the son of a goldsmith, was born in Vienna in 1862. He began his career as an artist when he was a teenager. Klimt’s most famous paintings featured naked or partially naked women. The backgrounds of these paintings were intricate and ornate, and they were stunning. While some aspects of the paintings were realistic, the women’s faces — which made up the majority of Klimt’s work — were usually composed of abstract shapes and the linear patterns associated with Art Nouveau painting. Klimt’s paintings were fine and delicate, and he frequently used gold paint, possibly as a result of his father’s profession.
Henri Matisse was influenced by Art Nouveau, but his style evolved over time, especially since he lived until 1954, when modernism had already taken hold. Matisse, like Gustav Klimt, painted women and used decorative elements in the background, but he was a more bold painter who preferred large areas of bright color. In 1908, Matisse finished the painting The Dessert: Harmony in Red. The woman serving dessert is the subject of this painting, which features ornate flowers and branches typical of Art Nouveau painting on both the tablecloth and the wall behind her.
Alphonse Maria Mucha, a Czech-born artist who could be considered a prototypical Art Nouveau artist, was a printmaker as well as a painter. His lithographs increased the accessibility of his work to the general public. Winter, an 1896 painting in the Nouveau style, depicts a woman outside, surrounded by snow-covered branches. The heavily outlined tree branches form an elaborate pattern in the painting, which was clearly inspired by Asian art. Despite the fact that Mucha’s work is associated with Art Nouveau and has been imitated by other artists, he frequently distanced himself from the movement, claiming that his work was a reflection of his Czech heritage.
The fact that each of these artists chose women as their primary subject matter exemplifies the Art Nouveau idealization of nature. Art Nouveau painters seemed to see women as a symbol of nature, in addition to using organic shapes and subjects in their paintings. Women were not only depicted in paintings, but they were also frequently seen on advertising posters.