THE ART NOUVEAU

, by Henry F. Lenning'37- Martinus J. Nijhoff, The Hague, 1951;143 pp.; 21 guilders ($6.00).

For a brief span, from 1895 to 1905, ArtNouveau flourished in Western Europe. Its life was short, it disintegrated rapidly but it left a permanent mark on architectural planning. To most of us it means asymmetrically curving lines with possibly flowers bobbing at the end. It is high time that we knew that it is the source of the International Style which developed into our own mid-twentieth-century modern. In its pure and early form, simplicity and functional efficiency prevailed, seeking plenty of light, air and a free flowing house plan. Architecture and interior decoration went hand in hand. The theory included a dynamic line which developed rather than decorated form.

It is depressing to see how quickly these sound principles were submerged by a welter of frivolous trimmings and complicated, absurd facades were imposed on conventional interiors. As the style collapsed it lacked dignity and comfort. Yet it was not a total loss for it carried the Arts-and-Crafts movement of William Morris, with its emotional appeal, through Van de Velde's intellectual approach (he was the Art Nouveau leader) to the contemporary combination which has so far managed to retain the essential simplicity necessary for an enduring style. Without the Art Nouveau, the Morris movement would probably have been a dead end.

The book is logically arranged, well illustrated and has a complete set of notes and bibliography. It is the result of careful and competent research. One feels the lack of a few illustrated pages giving a concise summary of the characteristic features of the style, but its evolution and decline are well explained, and buttressed by many quotations from the artists and critics of the time. As the first comprehensive study of this important movement in early modern art, the book is an especially valuable contribution to the literature of the field.