Art Nouveau was an international reaction against the backward-looking historicism that had passed for 19th century architecture. Inspired by the imaginary of organic structures like plant form and marine life, Art Nouveau was characterized by sinuous, curving lines that appeared in various undulating and interlaced patterns. It was a style that was really adopted in many branches of design including textiles, glassware and jewelry. To its supporters it represented a daring challenge to the architectural establishment's sterile practice of endlessly reviving Renaissance and Classical styles. To its detractors, it seldom overcame the chance of being mere surface decoration, and was unworthy of the statues of a truly architectural movement.
 
One of the first buildings to be influenced by the Art Nouveau appeared at the end of the 1880s. Although the United States never entered the mainstream of the Art Nouveau style, the spiky floral decorations for the 4,000- seat Chicago Auditorium in 1889 by Louis Sullivan showed that the look had crossed the Atlantic even then.
Some of the more famous architect that belonged to the Art Nouveau  period includes Belgian Victor Horta (1861-1947), and Henri van der Velde (1863-1957). And from France, Eugene Viollet-le-Duc (1814-79).
 

In spain, the works of architect Antoni Gaudi (1852-1926), displace an eccentric fantastic use of stone that anticipates the organic qualities of concrete and plastics. Gaudi was profoundly religious, inspired by the forces of nature and the Middle Ages.   The two illustration shown here on the left are just some of his works.   The top picture shows the Casa Mila, in Barcelona (1905-1910). Also known as the "La Pedrera", this apartment building has a rippling stone facade which gives the impression of molten larva. Inside, the plan is irregular; no two rooms are alike and all are many-sided and without right angles. The balconies are ironwork and spiky in form; the windows have rounded corners.         The Picture below is the Casa Battlo, also in Barcelona (1905-07). The sinuous shape of the stone dressings on the lower part of the building is repeated in the curved metal balustrades. Around the windows are pieces of colored glass embedded in the wall.

There is also one other fiercely individual architect of this period whose name is often associated with Art Nouveau. Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1858-1928) built almost exclusively in and around the city of Glasgow, where he had studied at the art school.

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