Opposite of Brutalism, Art Nouveau – Post 4 Anthony Papaianache

Working through my upcycle project and reflecting on my learnings and research on brutalism, I think of something that stand out from the environment, with a bland and near dystopian-like unsettling delivery and various harsh shapes and angles.

Art Nouveau is a very contrasting aesthetic in comparison to brutalism do to its roundness and form-less ways. It is much more expressive colorful to any brutalist structure and can be characterized with round portions and strong colors.

Below is a personal favorite example, Casa Batllo in Barcelona, Spain

Antoni Gaudi is a prestigious and embraced the Art Nouveau aesthetic and architecture. This building is nearly life-like, with bone-resembling balconies and vibrant mosaics and natural smooth curves. The overall flow of the building runs a onlookers eyes along its whole beauty. This definitely contrasts the harsh angles and blandness seen in brutalism architecture.

Antoni Gaudi is responsible for many beautiful pieces or architecture across Catalonia, also including his work on Park Guell in Barcelona, Spain.

Park Guell is also brought to life with flowy curves and vibrant tiles and colors. The roundness applied to roofs by Gaudi are very aesthetically pleasing and acts as if the building simply belongs where it has been placed. If you ever have the chance to visit Barcelona, look around for Antoni Gaudi’s work for peak examples of Art Nouveau architecture,

The Jubilee Synagogue in Prauge is another notable example.

The Synagogue is very expressive with vibrant colors and a nearly horse-shoe shaped arc in the center. Additionally, the towers are very rounded and the ceiling is lined with fantastic points full of abstract shape and decoration. The blockier building structure is the only comparison between this building and something of brutalist architecture. However, this building creates great depth with columns lining windows that are sunken in and the sunken in portions in the center.

This old metro station in Paris is yet another perfect example. The flairs on the top resemble that of like a tree, where the structure seemingly fits in perfectly with the surroundings. The flairs are fluted and not very centered/symmetrical bringing in more realism and life in a flashy way. Additionally, the interior is visibly decorated and abstract, including the supports for the sign.

The Hungarian state treasury building is yet another great example. The mosaic design along the roof and the walls are colorful and very enticing. Additionally, all windows and towers and lines on the ceiling are heavily decorated with abstract curvy shapes. The windows are outlined with beautiful arcs on top and the design makes it look like it is dripping down from the bottom.

Overall, the Art Nouveau architecture drastically differs to Brutalism. I personally find the Art Nouveau much more appealing to the eye, as the vibrancy and the attention to details along with abstract shapes and flows brings buildings to life. The blandness and harshness found in brutalist architecture is nearly unsettling in a grandiose scale.

Below is an example of a brutalist building, utilized in a previous blog post of mine.

Sources:

Art Nouveau Architecture: A Dance of Flowers and Curves