Art Nouveau-Art Deco

When I was in Prague, I loved the curvilinear architecture of the Old City.  Candy colors, flowing lines, the prevalence of Mucha's work.  In Paris I looked for the scrolling letters at the Metro stations.  In England, I walked through Mayfair, stopping to peer through the window at Cafe Royal and imagine dining with the likes of Oscar Wilde and Aubrey Beardsley.  When I started studying Victoriana more in depth, I was fascinated by the arts and crafts movement, the glittering aestheticism and how that led to the decadent art of the 1890s, which in turn transformed into the ornate curls of Art Nouveau and later Art Deco.  My favorite museum in New York is the Neue Gallery, which houses so many of Gustav Klimt's gold-leafed, botanical-filled masterpieces.  Now I can see the same motifs in joyful Scandinavian designs, especially Tord Boontje's laser cuts, and Brocade Home designs.  And in my new vine covered bedspread, Erte prints, hurricane lamp, yellow bedside table, and curved-legged dresser.  And the painting of the ever-inspirational Chrysler building hanging in the living room.

So of course I'm loving the latest from Anthropologie, a timeline tracing arts and crafts wallpaper to the aforementioned Chrysler building and integrating some of Anthro's current designs.  I love the continuity, how inspiration grows and changes over the ages but remains permanent in its flux.  Art harmony, indeed!