Back in 1997, Art Nouveau was the reason I was interested in Art History. There wasn't anything that I did not admire about the swooping lines, the mass-production-ready design, the democratic sensibility of art for the masses, and the assertion that there was no difference between the fine and decorative arts.
Education changes many an opinion, and a lot of what I believed in 1997 now elicits multiple footnotes, annotations, and apendices. While Art Nouveau hasn't retained all the dreamy magic I once believed it held, I still love the way it looks. The thing that I love is that, despite the fact that most Art Nouveau pieces are over 100 years old, they still look modern, new, fresh, young, etc. Take this sculpture for example:
The attenuation, the twist of the stance, the limbs and torso that seem to drip and pool like pulled taffy--I love it. This little bronze saytr was made in 1902 by Thomas Theodor Heine.
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