Modern: Klimt, Mucha, Gaudí

At the end of the 19th century, in various parts of Europe, a young and energetic generation of designers and artists set out to rid themselves of historicism and eclecticism, which had reigned in art for almost half a century, and to create a new original style, a different artistic form that would correspond to modernity. These attempts were most successful in the fields of architecture, interior design, applied art, book design, poster art, and, of course, painting. The new movement in art was called modern. There were many artists, architects, and designers who represented the Art Nouveau style in European and American art. Among the most famous were Czech theater artist and illustrator Alphonse Mucha, the renowned Austrian painter Gustav Klimt, and perhaps the most original Spanish architect Antonio Gaudí.