If you're looking for artistic inspiration, the past is a great place to start. It's so full of different rich cultures and events.
But then again, you don't want to just re-create something that's been done before — that would be pretty dull!
If you're like a lot of people, you'll probably find it's best to take a little bit of past and present and mix them together. The result is something that honors the traditions of the past, as well as the new strides culture has made. Plus is it's always great when something from the past re-emerges in a beautiful new way.
You can do this with anything, but today, we're looking at a mashup of today's pop culture and the very beautiful Art Nouveau style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Check out some of the past-and-present combinations below. See if you can come up with one of your own!
"Art Nouveau" is an artistic movement from the 1890s that is characterized by fluid, organic lines. The movement started in Europe as a reaction against stuffy classical art.
Art Nouveau encompassed fine art, design, textiles, furniture, and jewelry. Even everyday items were embellished with the flowing designs.
One of the most prominent artists of the time was Alphonse Mucha, who inspired much of the work by the artists you see here.
His geometric forms and rich colors looked like stained glass, and they work with just about any design or theme — even zombies!
Even cartoons work with his style, which is pretty remarkable.
Most of Mucha's pieces celebrate women, both fictional characters and real actresses and singers of his day. Today, artists are still celebrating the women and girls of the modern age, like this video game enthusiast.
But fictional ladies, just like in Mucha's time, are a favorite of today's artists because of their iconic looks and popular appeal.
Their pieces incorporate the main symbols of movies, TV shows, video games, and comics.
These pieces also allow artists to put their own spins on popular characters and imbue them with some of their own personality.
And with so many more characters to choose from, artists have real freedom in choosing any character that appeals to them!
Combining two art forms is a fun way to create something new out of things that already exist.
And although the Art Nouveau style is instantly recognizable, it's also able to be tweaked and altered to suit each unique artist's style.
These pieces can be as simple or as complex as you want, and feature anyone at all — real or fictional, male or female, someone you know, or even yourself!
You can learn much more about this art movement on the r/PopArtNouveau subreddit, which features art from many talented artists and is updated regularly.
Please SHARE this amazing artwork with the creatives in your life.
