In the early 20 th century, gendstyle artists were inspired by Japanese art. In 1854, Japanese ports opened up trade movements to the west, and in Europe, for example, in Paris, samples and art objects from this country began to appear in the art interior of Siegfried Bing and major international exhibitions, which were unaffordable for a long time in Europe. The magazine Le Japon Artistique (“The Artistic Japan”), what was published between 1888 and 1891 in English, French and German, contributed to the promotion of Japanese art. Many artists were fascinated by its lyrical, sophisticated nature depictions, themes diversity and treatments, particularly the use of asymmetric compositions and vertical shapes. The fascination with Japanese art marked a decline in previous styles. Nature, which was the guiding theme of the gendstyle, became an unlimited source of artistic inspiration.
Among Latvian artists, bright sample of such inspiration is an artist Jūlijs Straume (02.07.1874 -01.11 .1970). The influence of Japan is visible in the paintings of Jūlijs Straume in his works of the Paris period, when between 1905 and 1907, due excellence at the Central school of technical drawing in St. Petersburg of Alexander von Stieglitz, he was promoted, obtained a scholarship and an opportunity to hone skills in textile art in Paris. Several of the examples for your attention.
A drawing “A Crab” has been chosen for the cover of local version of the Catalogue. This edition was a part of the traveling exhibition “The Nature of Art Nouveau” created by 16 partners of Reseau Art Nouveau Network within project “Art Nouevau and Ecology”.
