TWYMON ART GALLERY NEWS AND UPDATE

Thank you so much for attending our In Focus art exhibit and reception in December! We are proud to have brought together such an amazing group of new artists for this show! We appreciate you for joining us and making this event such a wonderful success! We look forward to seeing you all again at our 2019 “Gilded Muses” exhibit!

It’s Art, Stupid!

Art Nouveau vs. Art Deco: What’s the Difference?

It actually all comes down to “flowery” vs. “streamlined.” Art Nouveau is highly decorative and Art Deco work is sleeker, architectural, or focuses on machinery elements. Both the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements emerged as reactions to major world events: the Industrial Revolution, World War I, and the Jazz Age, respectively. While both embraced modern elements, they’re easy to distinguish if you know what to look for.

“Art Nouveau,”literally means “new art” (but you probably figured that out) and reigned from roughly 1880 until just before World War I. Art Nouveau embraced Europe’s new industrial aesthetic and touched upon ancient cultures, like that of the Greeks, Romans, and Celts. It features naturalistic but stylized forms often combined with more geometric shapes, particularly arcs, parabolas, and semicircles. The movement brought in natural forms that had often been overlooked, like snakes, insects, weeds, and even mythical creatures.

“Art Deco,” on the other hand, emerged after World War I. In fact the deprivations of the war years gave way to a whole new opulence and extravagance that defined the Jazz Age and the “Art Deco” artistic point of view. The movement, prevalent from the 1920s until roughly the start of World War II, took its name from the 1925 Exposition Internationales des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes that was held in France and is characterized by streamlined and geometric shapes. It also utilized modern materials like chrome, stainless steel, and inlaid wood. If “Art Deco” dabbled with natural materials, they tended to be graphic or textural, like zebra skin or jagged fern leaves. As a result, deco featured bold shapes like sunbursts and zigzags and broad curves. In fact, if you check out the shape of the Chrysler or Empire State buildings, you’ll be staring at the very definition of deco style

Hygieia by Gustav Klimt, Art Nouveau, 1900-1907

Self-portrait by Tamara de Lempicka, 1930

Artist Spotlight – Vanessa Cole

Spiriting into the world in 1980’s, Vanessa Cole originates from Virginia Beach, VA. Cole earned her cosmetology license and specializes in diverse hair textures, as well as the genre of Urban Street art. She uses the beauty of hair to explore her vast range of creativity before translating her experiences to a painting canvas. Cole’s artistic works have been exhibited to promote affairs for the music industries in Chicago, IL and Columbus, OH. Reaching new heights in Evansville, Vanessa Cole plans to expand her passion for art into the specialized field of cognitive behavioral therapy in hopes to incorporate her art as a coping mechanism for patients.

Fresh Off the Easel

“Of Many Faces”

by Hadlie Comer

Available for purchase at the

Twymon Art Gallery

“Family Vacation”

by Vanessa Cole

Available for purchase at the

Twymon Art Gallery