Art Nouveau was a dramatic style that flourished throughout Europe in the 1890s. It was unlike anything seen before, as history has been replaced by nature. Art Nouveau designs derive from organic forms and use the theoretical context of plants and sinuous natural objects to create buildings. Honesty in the use of materials was an important factor in the style, as the materials were displayed in their natural forms. This resolved many previous construction constraints and allowed the opening of internal spaces allowing parts to merge, while also allowing the glass to develop as a distinct architectural support, with the exposed steel able to extend and support the walls; this created a new lightness to the spaces. Asymmetry was another essential feature, whether in relation to the overall mass of the building or simply the details of the walls and doors. The ornamental facade of a building was treated more as a decorative entity, making it stand out clearly from the surrounding street facades. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayVictor Horta was a leading Belgian Art Nouveau architect who created buildings that rejected previous historical styles. From 1892 he designed many public and private buildings across Brussels in the Art Nouveau style, but unfortunately many were destroyed. Horta's design style is consistent throughout his buildings with clear exterior facades, except for minor details, contrasting with powerful flamboyant ornamental interior spaces. The use of soft lines and curved shapes gives off a harmonious ambiance. His works incorporate neo-Gothic and neo-rococo elements. Victor Horta was inspired by French architectural theorist Viollet-le-Duc, who encouraged the visible use of iron and skeletal forms to create arches and cantilevers. Viollet agrees with the abandonment of tradition for the development of new forms of artistic expression. Horta chose to expose the metal framework of his structures rather than conceal them, introducing iron as a structural, visual and decorative addition to a facade. Therefore, this allowed natural light to be a much more dramatic feature, as the walls were supported by steel, resulting in the use of larger glass windows. The decision to expose the materials created the opportunity to open up the spaces within. This is beautifully demonstrated in the Maison du Peuple (1897-99), a masterpiece by Horta for the headquarters of the Belgian Socialist Party, consisting of offices, meeting rooms, cafes and a concert hall that could accommodate 1,500 people. An openly Art Nouveau interior contrasting with a much more sober exterior. The auditorium benefits from an innovative use of iron and steel framing; it is a structure carrying side galleries, while also being decoratively expressive as it curves to form balustrades and intricate designs. The Maison du Peuple has the first facade in Belgium built entirely of iron and glass. Victor Horta aspired to build a place that would not be a palace but rather a house in which air and light would be a luxury so long excluded from workers' hovels. The building easily achieves these goals, as it makes excellent use of natural light and displays both lightness and spaciousness. The asymmetrical shape of the building separated the public spaces of the concert hall and café from those of themore private spaces of conference rooms. The Maison Pompon (1892-93) is a fine example of Art Nouveau architecture and the first house in which Horta applied his theories. The interiors follow the decorative Art Nouveau style while the exterior is more conventional. The facade, dominated by bay windows, highlights the iron structure rather than hiding it and inside it is just as exuberant. Intricate columns are thin decorative cast iron vertical supports that resemble the shape of a plant as they grow from the ground and intertwine with the ceiling.decoration. They look a lot like Mackmurdos. Horta supported Mackmurdo's Art Nouveau visions by using some of his wallpaper designs in a few of his other buildings. The painted decoration conforms to the organic curvature form and is repeated in elaborate mosaic patterns on the floor. There is a generous combination of materials throughout the building, including stone, steel, glass, marble and wood. Each material used has been creatively integrated into the building to be displayed in its best quality. The organization of Horta's interior space was innovative. He departed from traditional endless corridors and instead created asymmetrical, flowing internal spaces with rooms of varying shapes and sizes. The rooms were flooded with natural light. It was unlike anything that had been seen before. Hortas's stairwells were always out of the ordinary. The wrought iron work reflected the curved shape of the surrounding internal features. The generous proportion of space allocated made the staircase a much more dominant feature than anything seen before. Horta successfully illustrates many Art Nouveau elements in its buildings. American Street, otherwise known as Maison Horta (1898) and Hôtel Solvay (1895-1900) are two Horta creations with totally asymmetrical facades. In these later creations, Horta was more confident in his design strategy: they proudly display the iron construction as a decorative element. There is a constant creative impulse down to the smallest details. Art Nouveau architects had to design every element, from the jamb to the door frame, not to mention all the furniture and accessories. Hortas buildings can echo the arts and crafts movement, as he designs every element down to the smallest detail in his unique style, including furniture and accessories. He understands good craftsmanship. Before completing a design, he would model all the architectural details in clay in order to visualize the result. The arts and crafts movement was also focused on truth about materials. In general, Horta used a range of materials, such as steel, wood, marble, and instead of concealing them within the wall structure, he exposed them to show their natural form. The lighting fixtures designed for the Solvay Hotel demonstrate Horta's ability to make the individual elements of a room become a more striking element. They are designed to give the appearance of flowing plants as they climb and twine up walls, ceilings and stairs. They raise and lower where needed to illuminate key areas of rooms and illuminate furniture or fireplaces. In summary, Art Nouveau depended on ornament. By 1910 Art Nouveau was generally abandoned, it being a one-off construction designed to satisfy an individual, aimed at the wealthy upper classes and unable to meet the demand for simple designs suitable for mass production. Modernism, however, retained some of the same characteristics. Looking at the works of early modernist architects, the influence of the Art Nouveau style.