The whiplash or whiplash line is a motif of decorative art and design that was particularly popular in

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

. It is an asymmetrical, sinuous line, often in an ornamental S curve, usually inspired by natural forms such as plants and flowers, which suggests dynamism and movement. It took its name from a woven fabric panel called "Coup de Fouet" ("Whiplash") by the German artist

Hermann Obrist Hermann Obrist (23 May 1862 at Kilchberg (near Zürich), Switzerland – 26 February 1927, Munich, Germany) was a Swiss sculptor of the Jugendstil and Art Nouveau movement. He studied Botany and History in his youth; the influence of those s ...

(1895) which depicted the stems and roots of the

cyclamen ''Cyclamen'' ( or ) is a genus of 23 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Primulaceae. ''Cyclamen'' species are native to Europe and the Mediterranean Basin east to the Caucasus and Iran, with one species in Somalia. They gro ...

flower. The panel was later reproduced by the textile workshop of the Darmstadt Artists Colony. Curling whiplash lines were modelled after natural and vegetal forms, particularly the

iris Iris most often refers to: *Iris (anatomy), part of the eye *Iris (mythology), a Greek goddess * ''Iris'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants * Iris (color), an ambiguous color term Iris or IRIS may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional ent ...

orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...

thistle Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles can also occur all over the planton the stem and on the flat parts of the leaves. ...

mistletoe Mistletoe is the common name for obligate hemiparasitic plants in the order Santalales. They are attached to their host tree or shrub by a structure called the haustorium, through which they extract water and nutrients from the host plant. ...

holly ''Ilex'' (), or holly, is a genus of over 570 species of flowering plants in the family Aquifoliaceae, and the only living genus in that family. ''Ilex'' has the most species of any woody dioecious angiosperm genus. The species are evergreen o ...

, water lily and from the stylized lines of the

swan Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...

peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

and

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

. In architecture, furniture and other decorative arts, the decoration was entirely integrated with the structure. The whiplash lines were frequently interlaced and combined with twists and scrolls to inspire a poetic and romantic association. Femininity and romanticism were represented by the lines of long curling hair intertwined with flowers. Designers such as

Henry van de Velde Henry Clemens van de Velde (; 3 April 1863 – 15 October 1957) was a Belgian painter, architect, interior designer, and art theorist. Together with Victor Horta and Paul Hankar, he is considered one of the founders of Art Nouveau in Belgium.'' ...

used the whiplash line to create a sense of tension and dynamism. He wrote: "A line is a force like other elementary forces. Several lines put together but opposed act like the presence of multiple forces. Noted designers who used the whiplash line included

Aubrey Beardsley Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (21 August 187216 March 1898) was an English illustrator and author. His black ink drawings were influenced by Woodblock printing in Japan, Japanese woodcuts, and depicted the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. He ...

, Hector Guimard,

Alphonse Mucha Alfons Maria Mucha (; 24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939), known internationally as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech painter, illustrator and graphic artist, living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period, best known for his distinctly stylized and decorat ...

and

Victor Horta Victor Pierre Horta (; Victor, Baron Horta after 1932; 6 January 1861 – 8 September 1947) was a Belgian architect and designer, and one of the founders of the Art Nouveau movement. His Hôtel Tassel in Brussels, built in 1892–93, is often ...

. In the Art Nouveau period, the whiplash line appeared frequently in furniture design, railings and other ornamental iron work, floor tiles, posters and jewelry. It became so common that critics of Art Nouveau ridiculed it as "the noodle style".

Origins

The twisting and curving lines of the whiplash form have a long history. They are similar to the

arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...

design, used particularly in

Islamic art Islamic art is a part of Islamic culture and encompasses the visual arts produced since the 7th century CE by people who lived within territories inhabited or ruled by Muslim populations. Referring to characteristic traditions across a wide ra ...

, such as the ceramic tiles of the mosque of

Samarkand fa, سمرقند , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from the top:Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zinda, ...

in Central Asia, They featured prominently in the lavish decoration of the

rocaille Rocaille ( , ) was a French style of exuberant decoration, with an abundance of curves, counter-curves, undulations and elements modeled on nature, that appeared in furniture and interior decoration during the early reign of Louis XV of France. ...

rococo Rococo (, also ), less commonly Roccoco or Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpted moulding, ...

style in the early 18th century. They were found in the Japanese prints of

Katsushika Hokusai , known simply as Hokusai, was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist of the Edo period, active as a painter and printmaker. He is best known for the woodblock print series '' Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji'', which includes the iconic print ''The Great W ...

, which became popular in France just as the Art Nouveau movement was beginning, and which particularly inspired the paintings of flowers by

Vincent van Gogh Vincent Willem van Gogh (; 30 March 185329 July 1890) was a Dutch Post-Impressionism, Post-Impressionist painter who posthumously became one of the most famous and influential figures in Western art history. In a decade, he created about 2 ...

, such as ''The Irises'' (1890). File:Turquoise epigraphic ornament MBA Lyon A1969-333.jpg, Arabesque pattern on a tile from

(15th century) File:Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier - Table de Cabinet., 6th Plate (Study for a Table), pl. 47 in Oeuvre de Juste-Aurele Meissonnier - Google Art Project (down table cropped).jpg,

Rocaille Rocaille ( , ) was a French style of exuberant decoration, with an abundance of curves, counter-curves, undulations and elements modeled on nature, that appeared in furniture and interior decoration during the early reign of Louis XV of France. ...

table design by

Juste-Aurèle Meissonnier Juste-Aurèle Meissonier (1695 – 31 July 1750) was a French goldsmith, sculptor, painter, architect, and furniture designer. He was born in Turin, but became known as a worker in Paris, where he died. His Italian origin and training were ...

(1730) File:Hokusai, viaggio tra le cascate di cento province, cascate kirifuri sul monte kurokami in prov. di shimotsuke, 1833.JPG, Waterfall of Kirifuri by

(1830–1834) File:VanGogh-Irises 2.jpg, ''Irises'' by

(1890) File:Morris wallpaper Seaweed J H Dearle.gif, "Seaweed" wallpaper design by

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

and J. H. Dearle (1890) File:Title Page by Aubrey Beardsley.png, Decoration for a title page by

(1890) File:Wand Decoration Obrist 1895.png, Woven whiplash design depicting the stems of

flowers, by

(1895)

Architecture

The Belgian architect

was among the first to introduce the whiplash curve into Art Nouveau architecture, particularly in the wrought iron stairways and complementary ceramic floors and painted walls of the

Hôtel Tassel The Hôtel Tassel (french: Hôtel Tassel, nl, Hotel Tassel) is a town house in Brussels, Belgium, designed by Victor Horta for the scientist and professor Emile Tassel, and built from 1892 to 1893. It is generally considered the first true Ar ...

in Brussels (1892–93). The lines were was inspired by the curving stems of plants and flowers. The French architect Hector Guimard also adapted the curving lines, particularly in the gateway, stairway and interior decoration of the

Castel Béranger The Castel Béranger is a residential building with thirty-six apartments located at 14 rue de la Fontaine in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. It was designed by the architect Hector Guimard, and built between 1895 and 1898. It was the first re ...

in Paris (1894–98), and in the edicules over the entrances of the

Paris Métro The Paris Métro (french: Métro de Paris ; short for Métropolitain ) is a rapid transit system in the Paris metropolitan area, France. A symbol of the Paris, city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, uniform ar ...

that he designed for the Paris Universal Exposition of 1900. Guimard also used the curving whiplash line on a large scale on the facade of the house he built for he ceramics manufacturer Coilliot in

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

(1898–1900). Another major figure using the whiplash form was the furniture designer

Louis Majorelle Louis-Jean-Sylvestre Majorelle, usually known simply as Louis Majorelle, (26 September 1859 – 15 January 1926) was a French decorator and furniture designer who manufactured his own designs, in the French tradition of the ''ébéniste''. ...

, who incorporated the twisting whiplash line not only into his furniture, but also into cast iron staircase railings, stained glass windows. The whiplash line in ceramics was also sometimes used for exterior decoration, for example under the peristyle in the courtyard of the

Petit Palais The Petit Palais (; en, Small Palace) is an art museum in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle ("universal exhibition"), it now houses the City of Paris Museum of Fine Arts (''Musée des beaux-arts ...

in Paris, built for the 1900 Paris Universal Exposition. It also appears in the curving cast iron staircase and ceramic floors of the interior of the Petit Palais. The architect

Jules Lavirotte Jules Aimé Lavirotte (March 25, 1864 in Lyon – March 1, 1929 in Paris) was a French architect who is best known for the Art Nouveau buildings he created in the 7th arrondissement in Paris. His buildings were known for his imaginative and exub ...

covered the facade of several of houses in Paris, particularly the

Lavirotte Building The Lavirotte Building, an apartment building at 29 Avenue Rapp in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, was designed by the architect Jules Lavirotte and built between 1899 and 1901. The building is one of the best-known surviving examples of ...

on Avenue Rapp, with curling ceramic whiplash designs made by the ceramics firm of Alexandre Bigot. File:Tassel House ground floor.JPG, Floor of the

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, with the characteristic whiplash design (1892–93) File:Castel Béranger, February 16, 2013.jpg, Entrance of

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

by Hector Guimard (1894–98) File:Maison art nouveau d'Hector Guimard (Lille) (10555565905).jpg, Facade of the Maison Coilliot in

by Guimard (1898–1900) File:Mosaïque galerie jardin intérieur Petit Palais Paris.jpg, Whiplash line on floor of the gallery of the

of the 1900 Paris Exposition File:XDSC 7288-29-av-Rapp-paris-7.jpg, Entrance of the

in Paris by

File:Atelier (Hofatelier) Elvira.jpg, Facade of Atelier Elivira in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

, in

Jugendstil ''Jugendstil'' ("Youth Style") was an artistic movement, particularly in the decorative arts, that was influential primarily in Germany and elsewhere in Europe to a lesser extent from about 1895 until about 1910. It was the German counterpart of ...

, by

August Endell August Endell (1871–1925) was a designer, writer, teacher, and German architect. He was one of the founders of the Jugendstil movement, the German counterpart of Art Nouveau. His first marriage was with Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven. Life Augus ...

(1896–97)

Wrought iron and cast iron

The use of

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuriti ...

in scrolling whiplash forms on doorways, balconies and gratings became one of the prominent features of the Art Nouveau style. The architect

, who had worked on the construction of iron and glass

Royal Greenhouses of Laeken The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken (french: Serres Royales de Laeken, nl, Koninklijke Serres van Laken) are a vast complex of monumental heated greenhouses in the park of the Royal Palace of Laeken (northern part of the City of Brussels), Belgium ...

in Belgium, was one of the first to create Art Nouveau ironwork, followed quickly by Hector Guimard, whose iron edibles for the entrances of the

became an emblem of the style. File:Le portail dentrée (La Hublotière) (6192265593).jpg, Gate of La Hublotière, country house of Hector Guimard (1896) File:Lescalier principal du Castel Béranger (Hector Guimard) (5478779855).jpg, Main stairway of the

by Guimard (1895–98) File:Stairs @ Petit Palais @ Paris (34892352515).jpg, Art Nouveau stairway of the

in Paris (1900) File:Paris 16 - Edicule Guimard Station Boissière -1.JPG,

station entrance at ''Boissière'' by Guimard (1900) File:Paris Metro Medallion, 1900 (CH 51685099).jpg, Cast iron Paris Métro medallion by Guimard (1900) File:Bruxelles Maison Saint-Cyr Zaun.jpg, Entrance fence of the

Saint-Cyr House The Saint-Cyr House (french: Maison Saint-Cyr, nl, Huis Saint-Cyr) is a town house in Brussels, Belgium. It was built by the architect Gustave Strauven, between 1901 and 1903, in Art Nouveau style. It is Strauven's most important building, and ...

in Brussels by

Gustave Strauven Gustave Strauven (23 June 1878 – 19 March 1919) was a Belgian architect of the Art Nouveau style. He created more than 30 buildings, using new technologies and incorporating wrought iron floral motifs. Biography Gustave Strauven was born in ...

(1901–1903) File:Villa Majorelle entry grill.JPG, Entrance grill of the

Villa Majorelle The Villa Majorelle is a house located at 1 rue Louis-Majorielle in the city of Nancy, France, which was the home and studio of the furniture designer Louis Majorelle. It was designed and built by the architect Henri Sauvage in 1901-1902. The vi ...

in Nancy (1901–02) File:WLM14ES - Barcelona Finca Güell 58 02 de julio de 2011 - .jpg, Entrance gate of Güell Pavilions in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

by Antoni Gaudí (1883–87)

Graphic arts and painting

The whiplash line was especially popular in posters and the graphic arts. In the posters of

and

Koloman Moser Koloman Moser (; 30 March 1868 – 18 October 1918) was an Austrian artist who exerted considerable influence on twentieth-century graphic art. He was one of the foremost artists of the Vienna Secession movement and a co-founder of Wiener Werks ...

, it was frequently used to depict women's hair, which became a central motif of the posters. After 1900 the whiplash lines tended to be more styled and abstract. The line also appeared in decorative paintings, such as the series of wall paintings made by

Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh Margaret Macdonald Mackintosh (5 November 1864 – 7 January 1933) was an English-born artist who worked in Scotland, and whose design work became one of the defining features of the Glasgow Style during the 1890s - 1900s. Biography Born Marga ...

of the

Glasgow School The Glasgow School was a circle of influential artists and designers that began to coalesce in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1870s, and flourished from the 1890s to around 1910. Representative groups included The Four (also known as the Spook School ...

. Her paintings, particularly the White Rose and Red Rose decorative panels (1903), were exhibited at gallery

Vienna Secession The Vienna Secession (german: Wiener Secession; also known as ''the Union of Austrian Artists'', or ''Vereinigung Bildender Künstler Österreichs'') is an art movement, closely related to Art Nouveau, that was formed in 1897 by a group of Austri ...

, where they may have influenced the decorative paintings of

Gustav Klimt Gustav Klimt (July 14, 1862 – February 6, 1918) was an Austrian symbolist painter and one of the most prominent members of the Vienna Secession movement. Klimt is noted for his paintings, murals, sketches, and other objets d'art. Klimt's prim ...

at the Stoclet Palace made the following year. File:J'ai baisé ta bouche Iokanaan.jpg, ''Salome'' by

(1893) File:Otto Eckmann - Blé.jpg, Design by Otto Eckmann based upon stems of wheat (1895) File:Sarah Bernhardt Mucha .jpg, Poster of

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including '' La Dame Aux Camel ...

(1896). The actress's hair is a profusion of whiplash lines. File:Henri Meunier - Thé Rajah - Google Art Project.jpg, Poster for tea by

Henri Meunier Henri Meunier (born Henri Georges Jean Isidore Meunier; 25 July 1873 Ixelles – 8 September 1922 Brussels) was a Belgian Art Nouveau lithographer, etcher, illustrator, bookbinder and poster designer of the Belle Époque. Henri Meunier was the ...

, with the steam rising in a whiplash form (1897) File:Peter Behrens Der Kuss.jpg, ''The Kiss'' by

Peter Behrens Peter Behrens (14 April 1868 – 27 February 1940) was a leading German architect, graphic and industrial designer, best known for his early pioneering AEG Turbine Hall in Berlin in 1909. He had a long career, designing objects, typefaces, and i ...

(1898) File:Kolo Moser - Mädchenkopf - 1899.jpeg, Illustration from ''Ver Sacrum'' by

(1900) File:Margaret MacDonald - White Rose And Red Rose.jpg, White Rose and Red Rose decorative panel, by

(1903) File:Preparatory design - Klimt - Stoclet Palace.jpg, Preparatory design of ''The Embrace'' by

(1904)

Furniture and ornament

Art Nouveau was a comprehensive form of decoration, in which all the elements; furniture, lamps, ironwork, carpets, murals, and glassware, had to be in the same style, or the harmony was broken. Victor Horta, Hector Guimard,

and other Art Nouveau architects designed chairs, tables, lamps, carpets, tapestries ceramics and other furnishings with similar curling whiplash lines. The whiplash line was intended to show the clear break from the eclectic historical styles that had dominated furniture and decoration for most of the 19th century. Henry Van de Velde and Horta in particular integrated the whiplash lines into their furniture, both in the shapes of desks and tables, the legs, in the brassware handles, and in railings and lamps, as well as in the chairs. Right angles were nearly banished from the works. An important furniture workshop was created in the French city of Nancy by

. Many designs with the whiplash line inspired by water lilies and other natural forms were created by Majorelle's designers. In Belgium the most notable designer using the motif was

Gustave Serrurier-Bovy Gustave Serrurier-Bovy (1858–1910) was a Belgian architect and furniture designer. He is credited (along with Paul Hankar, Victor Horta and Henry van de Velde) with creating the Art Nouveau style, coined as a style in Paris by art dealer S ...

After 1900, the whiplash lines became simpler and more stylized. In the

in Scotland, the motif was used in furniture by

Charles Rennie Mackintosh Charles Rennie Mackintosh (7 June 1868 – 10 December 1928) was a Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist. His artistic approach had much in common with European Symbolism. His work, alongside that of his wife Margaret Macdo ...

and in highly-stylized glass and paintings by his wife,

. File:Design for the Hôtel Solvay.jpg, Interior design for the

Hôtel Solvay The Hôtel Solvay (french: Hôtel Solvay, nl, Hotel Solvay) is a large Art Nouveau town house designed by Victor Horta on the Avenue Louise/Louizalaan in Brussels, Belgium. The house was commissioned by Armand Solvay, the son of the chemist ...

in Brussels by

(1898–1900) File:Sketch of an ornament by Victor Horta.jpg, Sketch of an ornament by Horta (

Horta Museum The Horta Museum (french: Musée Horta, nl, Hortamuseum) is a museum dedicated to the life and work of the Belgian Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta and his time. The museum is housed in Horta's former town house and workshop (french: Maison ...

, Brussels) File:Hector Guimard, Buffet, 1899-1900, Bröhan-Museum, Foto Martin Adam.tif, Buffet by Hector Guimard (1899–1900) (

Bröhan Museum The Bröhan Museum is a Berlin state museum for Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Functionalism, located in Berlin's Charlottenburg district. The Museum is named after its founder, entrepreneur and art collector Karl. H. Bröhan (1921–2000), who do ...

, Berlin) File:Henry van de velde, scrittoio e poltroncina, belgio 1898-99.JPG, Desk, chair and lamps by

(1898–99) (

Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) ( en, Orsay Museum) is a museum in Paris, France, on the Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts railway station built between 1898 and 1900. The museum holds mainly French art ...

, Paris) File:Ceiling light, designed by Henry van de Velde, made by Seifert K. M. & Co., Dresden-Lobtau, c. 1898, tin, copper, brass - Bröhan Museum, Berlin - DSC03978.JPG, Ceiling light by Van de Velde (1898) File:Gustave Serrurier-Bovy.jpg, Bed and mirror by

(1898–99) (Musée d'Orsay) File:Fauteuil nénuphar.jpg, Water Lily chair by

(1900) File:Majorelle Bed.jpg, Bed by Majorelle, with lines inspired by the water lily (Musée d'Orsay) File:Louis Majorelle - Wall Cabinet - Walters 6587.jpg, Wall cabinet by Majorelle (late 19th century) (

Walters Art Museum The Walters Art Museum, located in Mount Vernon-Belvedere, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, is a public art museum founded and opened in 1934. It holds collections established during the mid-19th century. The museum's collection was amassed ...

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

) File:Meuble de Louis Majorelle (musée de lEcole de Nancy) (7933060048).jpg, Detail of Vitrine by Majorelle (c. 1910) File:Emile Gallé (Musée Bröhan, Berlin) (6325347920) (cropped).jpg, Table by

Émile Gallé Émile Gallé (8 May 1846 in Nancy – 23 September 1904 in Nancy) was a French artist and designer who worked in glass, and is considered to be one of the major innovators in the French Art Nouveau movement. He was noted for his designs of ...

, c. 1900 (Bröhan Museum) File:Louis-desiré-eugène gaillard, credenza, 1900 ca.jpg, Credenza by

Eugène Gaillard Eugène Gaillard (1862–1933) was a French art nouveau industrial designer, architect and advocate of modern design. Gaillard abandoned a career in law for that of interior design and decoration. He was employed for some time by Siegfried Bing ...

(c. 1900) (

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

) File:Piano house for an art lover.jpg, Piano design by

in his House of an Art Lover

Ceramics and glass

Glass art Glass art refers to individual works of art that are substantially or wholly made of glass. It ranges in size from monumental works and installation pieces to wall hangings and windows, to works of art made in studios and factories, including glas ...

was a medium in which Art Nouveau found new and varied ways of expression. Intense amount of experimentation went on to find new effects of transparency and opacity: in engraving with cameo, double layers, and acid engraving, a technique which permitted production in series. In ceramics and glass, the whiplash lines were mostly taken from floral and animal forms. After 1900, they kept the floral motifs but became simpler and more stylized. File:Émile Gallé - Coupe "Par une telle nuit".jpg, ''Par une telle nuit'' cup by

, France (1894) File:Vase MET ES5937.jpg, Vase design by

Georges de Feure Georges de Feure (real name Georges Joseph van Sluijters, 6 September 1868 – 26 November 1943) was a French painter, theatrical designer, and industrial art designer in the symbolism and Art Nouveau styles. De Feure was born in Paris. His f ...

(1901) (

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

) File:Louis comfort tiffany per tiffany glass & decorating co., vaso, vetro, 1893-96, 07.jpg, Glass vase by

Louis Comfort Tiffany Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art NouveauL ...

(c. 1893–1896) File:Georges de feure per gérard dufraissex and abbot, vaso, limoges 1903 ca.jpg, Design for a Limoges ceramic vase by

(1903) File:Vase coloquinte (musée des arts décoratifs) (4779955370).jpg, Glass vase by Daum studio, Nancy (c. 1910) File:Vitrail du hall dentrée (House for an art lover, Glasgow) (3809393032).jpg, Window for the House of an Art Lover, by

(1901) File:Immeuble art nouveau de Jules Lavirotte à Paris (5510654806).jpg, The ceramic Paris facades of architect

made lavish use of the whiplash lines File:Otto eckmann e otto schulz per künigliche porzellan-manufaktur, vaso in porcellana e bronzo, berlino 1897-99 ca..JPG, Porcelain and bronze vase by Otto Eckmann (1897–1899)

Jewelry

European jewelers were very quick to adapt the whiplash line to pendants and other ornaments. The Belgian designer

Philippe Wolfers Philippe Wolfers (16 April 185813 December 1929) was a Belgian silversmith, jeweler, sculptor and designer. His mature work belongs to the Art Nouveau style, while in his later years his work aligned with Art Deco. As a jewel designer, he was les ...

was one of the pioneers of the style. His drawings show how he carefully analysed the forms of flowers and plants and used them in his jewelry. His work often crossed the frontiers between sculpture and decorative art, inspired by the lines of forms ranging from dragonflies to bats to Grecian masks. He made not only jewelry, but also bronzes, lamps, vases, glassware and other decorative objects, produced mostly for the Belgian glass factory of

Val Saint Lambert Val Saint Lambert is a Belgian crystal glassware manufacturer, founded in 1826 and based in Seraing. It has the royal warrant of King Albert II. Pre-history – Vonêche glassworks In 1795 during the War of the First Coalition which brought abo ...

. In Paris, the most prominent jewelry designers were

René Lalique René Jules Lalique (6 April 1860 – 1 May 1945) was a French jeweller, medallist, and glass designer known for his creations of glass art, perfume bottles, vases, jewellery, chandeliers, clocks, and automobile hood ornaments. Life Lalique's ...

and

Fouquet Fouquet (Foucquet) is a French surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernard Foucquet, sculptor active in Sweden * Charles Louis Auguste Fouquet, duc de Belle-Isle (1684–1761), French general and statesman * Christophe Fouquet ...

. Their designers made abundant use of the whiplash line to suggest natural forms, from waterfalls to iris flowers. Other artists, including

, contributed jewelry designs incorporating the whiplash line. File:D2017.023.019.050.jpg, Design drawing of flower stems by

(1896) File:Philippe Wolfers - Japanese lily ornament - 1898 - Collectie Koning Boudewijnstichting.jpg, Japanese lily ornament by Wolfers (1898) File:Philippe Wolfers, Plumes de Paon, KMKG-MRAH.jpg, ''Plumes de Paon'' ("Peacock Feathers"), belt buckle by Wolfers (1898) File:Tiffany and Company - Iris Corsage Ornament - Walters 57939 - Detail.jpg, Iris corsage ornament by

(c. 1900) File:49 mucha documentsdecoratifs 1901.jpg, Jewelry designs for Fouquet jewellers by

(1901) File:Philippe Wolfers - Libelle (1902).jpg, ''Libelle'' ("Dragonfly"), pendant made of gold,

opal Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica (SiO2·''n''H2O); its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%. Due to its amorphous property, it is classified as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline forms ...

, enamel,

rubies A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sap ...

and diamonds by Wolfers (1902) File:René lalique, pettine in corno, oro, smalti e brillanti, 1902 ca.JPG, Comb of horn, gold, and diamonds by

(c. 1902) (Musée d'Orsay)

Notes and citations

Bibliography

* * * * {{cite book, last=De Morant, first=Henry, title=Histoire des arts décoratifs, publisher=Librarie Hachette, year=1970, language=French Visual motifs