Can it be possible to prove the genius of an architect with just two adjacent apartment buildings? I think so. But that’s certainly not to say that Otto Wagner (1841-1918) did not create plenty of other examples of his genius, especially since – after an early period defined by historicism – his work moved him …
“The Most Beautiful Art Nouveau Church in the World”
Having earlier touched briefly on the Vienna Secession movement (What is the Vienna Secession? October 29, 2019) and on its connection with Art Nouveau in Vienna (toward the end of More Art Nouveau Notes: Time and Place, May 31, 2019), I continue to be intrigued by the links between the two. Timewise, the two movements overlapped, with …
Poster House (America’s Only Poster Museum) Opens with Alphonse Mucha
In the spring of 2017, visiting Amsterdam with my cousin, we were able to wander across the street (well, with the help of our hotel’s concierge) to the Van Gogh Museum to spend a morning with Prints in Paris 1900. It was an engrossing exhibition (the tagline read “The fin de siècle comes to life”). The …
More Art Nouveau Notes: Time and Place
Art Nouveau provides much pleasure to those who (like myself) have been captured by the allure of the style, and I think I might have come up with a reason why Art Nouveau is so appealing. It’s not only that the style provides the opportunity to experience exceptional beauty, however that elusive quality is defined …
Midsummer’s Day Thoughts
It’s Midsummer’s Day today, and as I prepare to send this post out (hopefully before Midsummer’s Day turns into a dreamy midsummer’s night), I have to confess that I was shocked to see that my last post was on Easter, some three months ago. My apologies. I’m consistently thinking about how lucky I am. Not …