Nature and the Nation in Fin-de-Sicle France - 9781472462619

Taylor & Francis Ltd

By the time of his death in 1904, critics, arts reformers, and government officials were near universal in their praise of Art Nouveau designer Emile Gall\u00E9 (1846\u20131904), whose works they described as the essence of French design. Many even went so far as to argue that the artist\u2019s creations could reinvigorate France\u2019s fading arts industries and help restore its economic prosperity by defining a modern style to represent the nation. For fin-de-si\u00E8cle viewers, Gall\u00E9\u2019s works constituted powerful reflections on the idea of national belonging, modernity, and the role of the arts in political engagement. While existing scholarship has largely focused on the artist\u2019s innovative technical processes, a close analysis of Gall\u00E9\u2019s works brings to light the surprisingly complex ways in which his fragile creations were imbricated in the political turmoil that characterized fin-de-si\u00E8cle France. Examining Gall\u00E9\u2019s works inspired by Japa.