a random essay i felt like writing

Okay, this isn't really an essay, it's more of a rant, but it's something that's been coming up again and again in my mind and I feel like writing about it. So if you are not interested in art nouveau/ women's roles in the art nouveau movement, don't read this.
Because art nouveau ("new art": circa the turn of the 20th century) was an offspring of the arts and crafts movement a few decades before, its style is very decorative. It was all about design. Works often had a very organic feel to them -- floral, plant and animal designs were incorporated into art, but sometimes even just swirls and curly shapes were sufficient. Women were also a popular subject: slender maidens with impossibly lengthy hair and barely-there flowy gowns. These figures adorned everything from candlestick holders to doorframes to posters (sidetrack: typography became more of an art form during this period than ever before).

Alphonse Mucha (I don't remember the source).

This topic is kinda tricky. Art nouveau artists have sometimes been criticized for their portrayal of women as mere decorations instead of soulful beings. My belief, though, is that it was more to demonstrate woman's beauty in association with nature than treating her as an object. Artists sought to show the organic relationship between women and the natural world: trees, flowers, animals, sunsets, etc. Women were a glorious inspiration for this time in art -- females in general, but also particular individuals such as Sarah Bernhardt and Loie Fuller (sidetrack: Loie Fuller's unique form of dance paved the way for modern dance as it is today).

In addition to frivolous beauty there was a sense of eroticism and mystery to the artists' creations. A few examples below...
Death and Life. Gustav Klimt. Though most of the faces in this picture are obscure and only partly visible, the viewer can still see the tense passion of the people as death approaches.
The Peacock Skirt. Aubrey Beardsley. Wavy shapes and intricate patterns add drama to this picture.
The Kiss. August Rodin. This is one of my favorite sculptures because of how much emotion Rodin was able to capture in marble. Look at how she is gripping her arm around his neck, and how her right foot is pressing her body forward. Likewise, his hand is resting on her thigh gently and firmly at the same time (how did Rodin do that?!). The unfinished look to the marble slab gives the appearance of the lovers growing out of it, or to put it a different way, bonded by it; there is an enormous sense of unity and one-ness in this sculpture.

This was probably a boring post to some of you, I know, and it is a definite switch from what I usually write, but I just finished a book on art nouveau and these thoughts had been circulating in my brain so long I had to get them out in words.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading. I realize I sort of left the end hanging; this was more just getting my ideas down than actually constructing an essay. So if you have any constructive criticism/comments, please go ahead!

I can't belief it's Thursday already. This week has been going so fast for me!