SILVIJA GROSA JŪGENDSTILA PERIODA PLASTISKAIS UN ...

It might be added, to step back from the direct subject matter of this
dissertation, that forms of nature could also be interpreted in architectonic ways –
so-called “kidney-shaped” windows, for instance.
It is key to note that in the latter period of Art Nouveau, the depiction of
motifs of nature no longer accented the aesthetics of the primal forces of nature.
Rather, there was a presentation of mankind’s victory over nature. Motifs were
strongly stylised, and subject matter included the hunt, as well as the depiction of
flowers in vases or baskets.
III.2.2. The cult of the line and the abstract geometric ornament
One important aspect of the conceptual decorative forms of Art Nouveau
relates to the unusual cult of line that was characteristic of style. Interest in this
Art Nouveau line appeared in advertisements that were published in Rīga around
the year 1900. The importance of the line in interior design was accepted in
materials related to the city’s 700 th anniversary celebration. In 1901, the line was
used as a specific decorative element in the showcases in which items were
exhibited, as well as in carpentry products and objects of metal and silver. In most
cases, there were attempts to subordinate the line to symmetry. Stylisation of
linear motifs makes clear the influence of the German decorative arts. In terms of
interior décor in Rīga, a mass phenomenon in 1902 and 1903 was the use of
stencilled lines, mostly bronzed, on ceilings. Delicate use of this motif could also
be found in the metal used for stairwell banisters, in plastic décor, and in the design
of alcoves and niches which were created in wood.
Asymmetrical use of linear motifs in the plastic décor of façades in Rīga
was uncommon. Asymmetrically curved lines or rhythmic lines were more often
used in the depiction of natural motifs, as well as, sometimes, of anthropomorphic
motifs, especially masks. Such lines were used to produce stylised images of hair,
beards or moustaches. The same was true in the presentation of hybrid beings
(stylised depictions of the gorgon Medusa, of dragons, etc.). One aspect of the
linearism that was typical of Art Nouveau could be seen in the motif of bows tied
up in a tassel. It can be assumed that use of the cult of the line in Art Nouveau
façades in the early 20 th century was a common phenomenon, one which cannot be
fully appreciated in the present day because so many of the examples of this have
disappeared.
In the early period of Art Nouveau, geometric ornaments were very
popular in building décor. The use of geometric ornaments and ethnographic
motifs particularly expanded during the late period of Art Nouveau, when National
Romanticism was coming to the fore. At the same time, however, there was also a
return toward free stylisation of ornaments related to historical styles.
III.2.3. Anthropomorphic décor
At the turn of the 19 th and 20 th centuries, there were innovations in
anthropomorphic décor which involved a series of ideas that were typical of the
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