Emphasis on the Beauty and Authenticity of the Objects

Vicky Xin
VISD-2006-002
Shabnam Rahimi-Golkhandan
Date
Introduce one object -The Mini Poster Art Nouveau Thanksgiving Chapbook
Will H. Bradley. The Chap Book, 1895. Poster, Color lithograph.
The Mini Poster Art Nouveau Thanksgiving Chapbook by Will H. Bradley reflects on the style of American art posters in the 1890s. The "Thanksgiving Day Numbers" poster is in the color lithograph medium where two women hold a food tray. Bradley promoted using art nouveau illustrations. In the imaginative decorative arts, there is an emphasis on the beauty and authenticity of the objects. Bradley's commercial posters and advertisements were included in the chapbook. It was more likely that more people would see his artwork as there were few American literary magazines in the late 19th century. English and French graphic art inspired American art nouveau, and while the art style was mostly used in American advertising, there is more emphasis on the beauty of art. Bradley had a profound impact on visual poster arts and illustrations as he adopted new design styles that did not follow the traditional graphic designs, and he popularized poster art.
The art nouveau style that emerged in the late 19th century and the decorative style is characterized by moving away from previous styles such as renaissance, baroque, romantic styles, and industrial design. As part of good poster art, the illustrations are eye-catching, and the artwork was integrated into published media. Bradley's artwork is practical and freely available through miniature magazines, meaning that more people would likely see the art than the case of high art where there were few amateur collectors. Mass production made it easier for the art nouveau aesthetic to accessible by the public, where posters such as the "Thanksgiving Day Numbers" became an art object.
Art Nouveau is inspired by nature and uses curved lines for decoration and the design of the poster. It was easier to mass-produce the art nouveau illustrations such as the mini-poster art nouveau thanksgiving chapbook. Art nouveau focuses on modernizing art and culture by integrating more decorative elements in illustrations. The art nouveau style is inspired by the natural world, where sinuous lines, decorative art, and curves are common (Gontar).
The art nouveau cultural movement uses motifs inspired by nature to capture the sensuality and the art illustrations. The highly decorative art style emphasizes enhancing the object's artistic and aesthetic qualities, as is the case with the Chap Book, 1895 poster. The illustration design enriches the poster, and there is an emphasis on designing an effective advertisement. English Art Nouveau inf...