Chicago School and Prairie School architecture

The Chicago School and the Prairie School produced some great buildings; they are certainly beautiful and perfect each on its own way, but after seeing Art Nouveau, I have to say, these two old architecture schools didn't quite amaze me. Art Nouveau causes much more in me. 

Nevertheless, I think it is wonderful that great architects designed not only skyscrapers or big buildings just to get some fame, but small and ordinary buildings -I say ordinary because every city needs a bank, a library, a school or a store- that make a city not functional and beautiful! Nowadays, we just get 'cookie-cutter' buildings that do not have any artistic feature -or any feature at all-, and I think it is kind of sad what we're doing to our cities.

Art Nouveau: Germany, France, Belgium, Italy, Scotland, Russia, Spain

Germany's single protagonist, Hermann Obrist, is certainly really different from the other artists that lead Art Nouveau and usually make rather colourful compositions. However, his somber style is just great in its unique way. The curves that constantly feature his works are amazing, and they indeed give a feeling of being part of nature at the same time they still look dark and mysterious. By the way, I think August Endell's contribution to the façade of the Atelier Elvira building was a really nice one, it really suits Obrit's style and it just fits in the right place. 

Mucha's 'Joan of Arc'

France is just an explosion of Art Nouveau: Alphonse Mucha, Emil Galle, Rene Lalique, Eugene Vallin, and Hector Guimard don't fail to make Art Nouveau one of the greatest movements of all art history. First of all, I have to admit that all I could think about while seeing Mucha's posters was: Now, THESE are REAL posters! In fact, they're some good examples of beautiful publicity; they're noticeable commercial, but they're still sublime and fine art. Mucha's work is a really interesting phenomenon, and I really liked how he could even mix realistic illustrations with rather fantasy-like elements or backgrounds (as in 'Joan of Arc'). Galle and Lalique really impressed me. I'm purely amazed! Art Nouveau produces too many emotions in me! I loved every single piece that these two guys made and I want them all for me! Now, I think Vallin's and Guimard's work are some really beautiful pieces of furniture; I'm not sure if the chairs are comfortable at all, but I would definitely buy them. 

I've always liked this metro entrance! When I was in Paris
last summer, I just went crazy of joy whren I saw this metro enrance!
It's just magical to me! Thanks, Guimard!

Horta's interior

I feel really guilty for being in Belgium and not getting to see Victor Horta's and Henry Van de Velde's work from which I've fallen in love! Horta's interiors just make me go WOW! I've always loved stairs designs and ceilings with lost of glass, so Horta is really special to me... his designs speak to me! What I liked about Van de Velde's works is that they can range from being rather weird, yet attractive compositions, to be more subtle or abstract pieces. 

In Italy, Giuseppe Sommaruga's fusion between Art Nouveau and monumentalism resulted, in my opinion, in a great work of art: the Palazzo Castiglioni. (The details of this building, actually remind me of Gaudí's Sagrada Familia's overwhelming details)

The Celtic Archibald Know did indeed some AMAZING works in metal and glass. I would like to have, for example, the Tudric clock on my room right now, and well, those vases would perfectly suit my living room, I want them all! 

The exteriors' designs of the Russian Fyodor Schechtel are clearly much more simpler than the interiors and exteriors of other Art Nouveau artists, but I think they are still remarkable and beautiful. His staircase in the Ryabushinsky House also reminded me of Sagrada Familia's perfect stairs! 

Finally, in Spain, in my beloved city of Barcelona, we have, in my opinion, some of the greatest works in the world. I spent a month in Barcelona last year, and I got to see A LOT of Gaudí and Miró, and of course, I went to the Sagrada Familia. Entering to this cathedral is probably the most unique and spiritual experience I've ever had! It truly left me with no words! It is inexplicably perfect! I usually don't like churches, cathedrals or basilicas, but the Sagrada Familia made me feel like anything else in the world... Just looking to its ceiling made my senses explode. I sat in one of the benches inside the cathedral for about an hour just to look at every inch of that perfectiveness  I don't believe in God, but I think that if he could could see that exemplary piece of art, basically in its honour  I think he will explode too, and make Gaudí his second son or the real God. I also went to Parc Güell and got to see some other buildings designed by Gaudí on the streets of the city, and think Gaudí's work cancels any other architectural attraction in Spain. Barcelona is a really magical city; I'll always have it in my heart! 

Sagrada Familia's nave roof. The greatest roof in the world!

Natural Design: Arts and Crafts Movement Class Reaction

I think that this has been the class I've enjoyed the most by now! Every piece of art that we saw today was PURE gold; either it was a painting, a piece of architecture, a chair, a bookcase, a table, jewellery or a wallpaper, each work fulfilled me more than any other of the different art movements we've discussing in the course. It's hard to define what art, and particularly the Arts and Crafts Movement causes in me, but I can say that it made feel so fresh; that's a perfect word: fresh. Maybe what makes this movement so enjoyable and appealing to me it's that it doesn't take a side on how to make art: you can decide to follow some of the Academy rules on your paintings,stick to geometry and symmetry on your furniture design, and, at the same time, use new styles and create asymmetric buildings with crazy roofs; I mean, you are not the baroque painter following the same patterns over and over again nor the impressionist just doing everything against the 'accepted' styles... you're just free to do whatever you want that is beautiful, useful, and makes human creations look part of nature.