Imagine a movement of design reform where artists embraced a return to fine craftsmanship. Where designers broke free from the old ideas of rigid artistic tradition and took inspiration from the natural world. This movement was Art Nouveau, a “new” style that exploded in Europe and North America at the end of the nineteenth century. (c.1880-1914) This new style was possibly a response to the Industrial Revolution, where artist and architects welcomed the possibilities of new materials through technological progress. Yet, they believed in high quality and fine craftsmanship. This movement is seen as the gateway to modernism, and was carried through the door using curvy sinuous lines and stylized flora. Art Nouveau was a way of life and its approach to design was that it should be in harmony with everything and a part of everyday life. It was integrated into art, architecture, fabric, glass, furniture, and jewelry. It was decorative art taken to the status of fine art through the application of fine craftsmanship.
The necklace pictured above was inspired by a photograph of an Art Nouveau doorway in France. Metaphorically speaking, it seems we come across many doors in life. Some are hard to walk through and some we don't recognize until the door shuts behind us. One could only hope the threshold is inspired by the beauty of nature, it would help make the hard ones easier to pass through.
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