#118 An Essay on Art Nouveau and Art Deco

Art Deco and Art Nouveau are contentious styles. Art Deco is a style of harmony in harsh lines. It is reminiscent of the steel of war, the crisp lines of the modern workforce. Art Nouveau, on the other hand, is all curling ferns and budding leaves. It is harmony through nature.

I love them both dearly because they are sides of the same coin. While one finds harmony in the production and industry of modernity- the ever-changing engine of history, the other yearns for a Renaissance past. Either would not have had the impact it has had without the other.