It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and flowers. One major objective of Art Nouveau was to break down the traditional distinction between fine arts especially painting and sculpture and applied arts. It was most widely used in interior design, graphic arts, furniture, glass art, textiles, ceramics, jewellery and metal work. German architects and designers sought a spiritually uplifting Gesamtkunstwerk 'total work of art' that would unify the architecture, furnishings, and art in the interior in a common style, to uplift and inspire the residents.
It reached its peak at the Paris International Exposition , which introduced the Art Nouveau work of artists such as Louis Tiffany. From Britain, Art Nouveau spread to Belgium onto Spain and France, and the to the rest of Europe, taking on different names and characteristics in each country see Naming section below.
It often appeared not only in capitals, but also in rapidly growing cities that wanted to establish artistic identities Turin and Palermo in Italy; Glasgow in Scotland; Munich and Darmstadt in Germany; Barcelona in Catalonia , Spain , as well as in centres of independence movements Helsinki in Finland, then part of the Russian Empire. In the s, it was replaced as the dominant architectural and decorative art style by Art Deco and then Modernism.
The term Art Nouveau was first used in the s in the Belgian journal L'Art Moderne to describe the work of Les Vingt , twenty painters and sculptors seeking reform through art. The style is often related to, but not always identical with, styles that emerged in many countries in Europe and elsewhere at about the same time. Their local names were often used in their respective countries to describe the whole movement. The new art movement had its roots in Britain, in the floral designs of William Morris , and in the Arts and Crafts movement founded by the pupils of Morris.
Viollet-le-Duc was himself a precursor of Art Nouveau: in , at Notre-Dame de Paris , he created a series of mural paintings typical of the style. In his book Entretiens sur l'architecture , he wrote, "Use the means and knowledge given to us by our times, without the intervening traditions which are no longer viable today, and in that way we can inaugurate a new architecture.
