Robert Schmutzler was a German

art historian Art history is the study of artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Traditionally, the ...

known for his work on the development of

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

that identified new and earlier origins for the style at a time when it was undergoing a revival.

''Art nouveau-Jugendstil''

Schmutzler's major work was his book ''Art nouveau-Jugendstil'' (1962) which was developed from his doctoral thesis. It was printed in English in 1964 as ''Art Nouveau'' in a translation by Edouard Roditi, published by

Thames and Hudson Thames & Hudson (sometimes T&H for brevity) is a publisher of illustrated books in all visually creative categories: art, architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, and the performing arts. It also publishes books on archaeology, history, ...

in the United Kingdom and Abrams in the United States. The English language edition was positively reviewed by

Lawrence Gowing Sir Lawrence Burnett Gowing (21 April 1918 – 5 February 1991) was an English artist, writer, curator and teacher. Initially recognised as a portrait and landscape painter, he quickly rose to prominence as an art educator, writer, and eventuall ...

in ''The Observer'' who pronounced it "fascinating" and by Eric Newton in ''The Guardian'' who honoured Schmutzler for disproving the belief that

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. He was a fervent admirer of the French architectural theoris ...

had invented the style, saying "The legend dies hard. In fact only German scholarship could kill it, and only a German scholar, with his complex machinery of philosophical interpretation and aesthetic analysis could manage to relate it to what came before...""The sinuous line", Eric Newton, ''The Guardian'', 10 July 1964, p. 7. Newton criticised Schmutzler for the untidy organisation of the book and found the omission of

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, he was widely known for his distinctly stylized ...

inexplicable, but praised him for identifying the British origins of the style in the work of

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake has become a seminal figure in the history of the Romantic poetry, poetry and visual art of the Roma ...

, the

Pre-Raphaelites The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), later known as the Pre-Raphaelites, was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti ...

, and

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. ...

, as well as in

Arthur Mackmurdo Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo (12 December 1851 – 15 March 1942) was a progressive English architect and designer, who influenced the Arts and Crafts Movement, notably through the Century Guild of Artists, which he set up in partnership wit ...

's 1881 design for a chair. Schmutzler had already written about the British origins of the style and the influence of William Blake in particular in two articles in ''Architectural Review'' in 1955. Edith Hoffmann on the other hand, in ''

The Burlington Magazine ''The Burlington Magazine'' is a monthly publication that covers the fine and decorative arts of all periods. Established in 1903, it is the longest running art journal in the English language. It has been published by a charitable organisation s ...

'', was less convinced that the eventual development of the Art Nouveau style could be convincingly attributed to the influence of Blake on the Pre-Raphaelites, arguing that his decorative work, derived from Rocaille ornament, was not his most important work. She was still less sure that "proto-Art Nouveau" elements could be found in the work of Palmer, Calvert, and Ingres as postulated by Schmutzler."''Art Nouveau'' by Robert Schmutzler"
Edith Hoffmann, ''The Burlington Magazine'', Vol. 110, No. 781 (April 1968), pp. 225-226.

Selected publications

*"The English origins of Art Nouveau", ''

Architectural Review ''The Architectural Review'' is a monthly international architectural magazine. It has been published in London since 1896. Its articles cover the built environment – which includes landscape, building design, interior design and urbanism � ...

'', Vol. 117, No. 698 (February 1955), pp. 108–117. *"Blake and Art Nouveau", ''Architectural Review'', Vol. 118, No. 704 (August 1955), pp. 90–97. *''Art nouveau-Jugendstil''. Teufen, 1962. *''Art Nouveau''. Thames and Hudson, London; Abrams, United States; 1964. (Revised and abridged edition 1978)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schmutzler, Robert German art historians Year of birth missing Year of death missing Art Nouveau

''Art nouveau-Jugendstil''

Selected publications

See also

References

External links