The Art Nouveau movement made itself known in the 1880s but had its climax in the years 1892-1902. It's revolutionary thinking about modern life, broke all connections to classical times and made the barrier between fine art and applied arts non-existent.

The name "Art Nouveau" derived from a shop in Paris, run by Samuel Bing Siegfried a German art dealer in Paris, who started his career by dealing in Japanese art and showcasing modern objects of design. When he opened his own store, the Maison de l'Art Nouveau, featuring the works of these modern artists, a movement was born, named after his store.

One of the most important characteristics of the style is a dynamic, undulating and flowing, curved "whiplash" line of syncopated rhythm. Because of this flat, decorative style, Art Nouveau obtained a nickname, "Le style nouilles" (French) or "the Noodle Style". The abstract lines and lavish treatments used for traditional subject matter, looked beautiful but wasn't very functional.

Everything from architecture, furniture, glassware, graphic design, jewelry, pottery, metalwork, textiles, sculptures, paintings, and even advertising posters became part of the Art Nouveau movement. It was a part of everyday life. Its high point in the evolution was the Universal Exposition of 1900 in Paris, in which the 'Modern Style' triumphed in every medium but by the following decade, the new style was so commercialized in trivial mass-production that Art Nouveau was looked down upon after about 1907, and the term was ascribed a pejorative meaning.