Customer Reviews

Masterpieces of Art Nouveau Stained Glass Design: 91 Motifs in Full Color (Dover Pictorial Archive)

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Originally, this was a pair of portfolios of designs in the Art Nouveau period. Art Nouveau was not just twisty flowers, though some people like to stereotype it into those narrow parameters. This is not a how-to book with cutting patterns. It has only the paintings with suggested scale. On a few pages, motifs overlap each other, so you can't just scan and go: you have to build up your idea of the covered areas. One pictorial arched piece is missing the right third, again a challenge to finish it yourself.

The designs range from splendidly romantic conceptions of floral forms to windows a-scamper with squirrels or lizards to some that are distinctly eerie. Bats fly across the moon amidst dead trees. A woman combs her hair before a volcano flowing lava. An octopus and a sea-weed maiden struggle underwater--in combat? in love? Several have fishes and there are even cat designs.

You don't have to see these only as windows. I've converted two to rug designs by taking out the excess black lines of supports or piecing necessary to glass work. You may want to take only one area out of an entire design to render in wood, or do a mosaic version of the whole thing. This is a starting point for the competent craftsman who loves the Art Nouveau energy, not an end product.

Though some of the designs are nice, most are way too busy for my taste, and I wouldn't really call them Art Nouveau. Quite a few of them look more like Renaissance style stained glass, and some of them look modern (like the sailboat patterns?). It is in color, though, which is nice. Very complicated - definately not for beginning stained glass crafters.

If you can't find a design you can use for inspiration, you're just not looking hard enough. Not for beginners since the designs are incredibly intricate, but your creativity will wake up and take notice.

Nice plates with dimensions. Good for projects and for idea's. I highly reccomend it.