So unusual Art Nouveau

The exhibition of Charls Mackintosh, called 'Manifesto of new style', is taking place at Kremlin Museum. At this exhibition there is a number of works, mostly furniture , designed by him. Each and every object, exhibited there, represents recognizable details of unique style of Mackintosh, which contains Influence of East coltures , like Сhina for instance, and Art Nouveau, where each small part of any detail is elaborated by the designer. On the photo, there are two examples of furniture that were designed as a part of interior of Tee Room. Both of them were made in smooth lines, which one goes into another. The card table is decorated from four sides with carved image. ­Talking about the chair, it is not decorated but only the part where a person sits has a carved silhouette, which illustrates the part of the seat that a person occupies by sitting on it. Does it make a chair more comfortable? Unfortunately I had no chance to experience it myself.

Speaking of exhibition itself, I have to mention the way 4 examples of chairs by Mackintosh were exhibited. Each one is devided from another with the use of mirrors on the sides. Because of that each showpiece seems isolated and the viewer can obesrve it from almost all sides.

Though the similarity in design of chairs is quiet obvious to see, but it is clear that each one is unique in its own way. Overdecorating,  curls and other organic patterns were simplified and replaced with shortness, simlicity of forms and clear lines.Of cause some of chairs have grotesque high back, which sometimes is even human-sized, but at the same time there is a number of them which were made for comfort and has their particular purpose.

Just like many other artists  of that time Charls Mackintosh was rather autonomic in his design. Each work by him had its own fixed context and function and each element and detail of his masterpiece works as a reflection of it. But at the same time it can be just independent element of art,

So why the manifesto of new style? In my opinion, the personality of the artist, his beauty standarts and willfulness of the style can clearly be seen in his design works. By following and at the same time going against the trend of that time the heritage of Mackintosh was born. The Heritage which combines the symbiosis of two complitely different coltures  : the East and The West,  and which  was complitely different from what people had seen and would ever see.

Polina Veydenbakh
student of IAD
level 4