SILVIJA GROSA JŪGENDSTILA PERIODA PLASTISKAIS UN ...

oundaries of Art Nouveau in both iconographic and stylistic terms. Historicism
was of great importance during the early period of Art Nouveau, and the approach
toward Art Nouveau involved a reinterpretation of motifs that were popular in
several neo-styles, making use of traditional presentations of decorative motifs and
subjects such as the handbook of ornaments that was produced by Franz Meyer in
the latter half of the 19 th century, the “Allegories and Emblems” handbook from
the Viennese publisher Martin Gerlach, as well as several other publications in the
19 th century which remained popular even though other, newer publications were
becoming available. Conventional materials were modernised to find solutions
that were best in line with the tastes of the local society. Another fundamental
source for the decorative arts was contemporary academic salon art. The décor
also indicates manifestations of the so-called new paganism which was typical of
the period. There was a certain amount of interest in Freemasonry, but given the
historical situation, there is a lack of specific materials to confirm this belief. Very
important was the interest in emblems and heraldry, which remained in place
throughout the period of time that is considered here. This has been revealed as
part of the aforementioned ideas of social prestige.
• Analysis of the architectural centres that were popular at that time, as
well as of the influence in this process of individual artists, has made it possible to
learn that in addition to innovative and textbook centres for the spread of Art
Nouveau that are accepted in the present day, the architectural décor in Rīga in the
early 20 th century indicated an interest in the art of Dresden and Berlin, focusing on
those artists who have now been all but completely forgotten, but who made a
substantial contribution in terms of individual decorative motifs, as well as the
overall concept of Art Nouveau.
• Throughout the early period and the golden age of Art Nouveau,
sculptures on the façades of buildings were applicative in nature. The
interpretation of motifs and the relevant styles covered a wide range of techniques,
and attention was devoted to the semantics of the decorative motifs. A sign of
innovative décor particularly characteristic of the Art Nouveau period was the
plastic emphasis on certain motifs. At the end of the golden age of Art Nouveau,
the so-called engraved relief became popular for the décor of façades. Even
though the iconographic motifs of Art Nouveau were dominant at that time, the
presence of historical styles maintained free forms of interpretation, with some
ideas typical of Domestic Revival being put to use.
• As was the case with façades, there were retrospective tendencies
even as late as in 1903 in interior décor. At the beginning of the period, such
tendencies fully dominated the interiors of public buildings, while in people’s flats,
a conventional approach to décor is seen in the fact that different rooms were
designed in different styles – as was the case in the style of Historicism. There
was an excessive saturation of ornamentation and colour. During the golden age of
Art Nouveau, the tendency changed, and interiors were designed entirely in line
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