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When in 1910 Josep Arquer opened his doors to
Barcelona for the first time, his heart and soul were already
captive to that cultural movement which had spread throughout
Europe since the turn of the XIX century, namely Modernism
(also known elsewhere as Art Nouveau, Modern Style, Style
Liberty, Style 1900 and Jugendstil). The origins of
Modernism can be found in England where influences of the
Arts and Crafts movement and the Gothic revival had already
laid the foundations of the Aesthetic Movement between 1870
and 1880. This was the prelude to Art Nouveau. The first
modernist works do not appear until the second half of the
1880’s and it was not until the following decade that the
style found its expression in the buildings of architects like
the Belgians, Horta and Van de Velde, the Frenchman, Guimard;
the German, Endell; the Austrians, Wagner, Hoffmann and
Olbrich; and the American, Sullivan. Modernism can also be
seen in the work of craftsmen such as E. Gallé in France and
Tiffany in America. Lalique, one of the best known
exponents of this movement in France, delighted Paris with his
jewelry and was the indisputable star of the Universal
Exhibition in 1900.This style was basically derived from the
pre-Rafaelites and symbolism, and was characterized by the
predominance of the curve over the straight line, a richness
in detail, the frequent use of vegetable motifs, a propensity
for asymmetry, refined aesthetics, dynamic shapes. The
ornament has its own brilliance. It is further seen in
furniture and all kinds of objects. Its volume yields to the
sensual vibration of its lines, thus bringing out the outlines
which turn and flow infinitely, the leit-motiv of Modernism.
The vegetable theme is hinted at by color inference.
Modernism cannot be conceived without the vital role of color.
In architecture it can be found in multicolored façades with
bright ceramic ornaments and stained glass windows. However it
is seen in all artistic genres in which color is rediscovered,
since it does not have a purely descriptive function; it is an
independent form of expression and thus becomes a stylistic
tool.
Catalan Modernism has drawn from the experiences of our
artists in Paris. Like the French it is both exuberant and
leafy. Vegetables are also its source of inspiration,
together with asymmetrical and three-dimensional shapes.
Barcelona, a cosmopolitan city and open to all the latest
fashion trends, welcomed this movement wholeheartedly and went
on to embrace it as its own. Its streets filled with
buildings like "La casa Batlló", "La Pedrera" or "el Palau de
la Música Catalana"; and in the heart of the city Gaudí, our
universally known architect designed the cathedral of
Modernism: "La Sagrada Família".
Today, as we stand at the gates of the 21st century that
expressive artistic movement still survives in the
Mediterranean capital. Three generations later, the
designer, Pere Arquer –through Nouveau 1910– introduces his
collection. His jewels are like paintings, with a statement
of figurative and descriptive function always combining "the
poetic" with an exquisite beauty. His stained glass "plique
à jour", also internationally known as Barcelona stained
glass, and his enamels impregnate medium colors that radiate
a mysterious energy. Soft foliaceous shapes climb up the body
of a nymph holding a precious stone in her hands with an
indescribable lightness and grace. He shares with the artists
of Art Nouveau unconventional motifs; lifelike plants and
flowers, hermafrodites inspired by mythology, girls’ bodies
and faces with serene beauty, mermaids, and fabulous
dragons...Let these timeless works of art lift our
imaginations to the spiritual, eternal world and, deliver us
to the realm which is Nouveau 1910. |
