Emile Galle

Emile Galle 1846-1904

Emile Galle' was a great manufacturer and his work made a great impression for art nouveau in the Paris Exposition in 1887. His studies when he was young were mostly on drawing and botany. You can see this reflected in his work. He worked in his father's factory, Nancy, were he manufactured glass vases and also design furniture. His main influence was in the Japanese art. His work features a free, asymmetrical naturalism in it.

   




       He made different forms in glass vase designs and they all have a sense of stability and balanced well. The design on the vases are mostly floral patterns and although they are not perfectly symmetrical, Galle made asymmetrical designs. Some of the techniques he used were wheel cutting, acid etching and casing.

Tulip

Astrantia

    He experimented with different forms, colour and pattern. You might say that the vases both left and right are balanced or symmetrical but the patterns are not. Although the patterns are not symmetrical they are still balanced properly on the glass. That is called asymmetry, where symmetry is absent. The patterns still has a sense of harmony and flowing movement. A horizontal type of balance can also be observed with the colour tone where the bottom is of a dark colour and the top part is of a bright colour.

Transparent

Claire-de-lune

 


















      Early types of experimentation and techniques led Galle to use transparency in the glass vases. This particular vase also has a different kind of shape but also symmetrical. You can also see a floral pattern on the vase which is asymmetrical.  The colour of the vase is a soft honey. Galle also created a colour which he named claire-de-lune which is a transparent blue colour.

      During the time working in his father's factory, Emile Galle also designed furniture. These pieces of furniture are very famous and desired by many. His study in botany is also reflected in these works which includes designs of leaves, flowers, vines and fruit.


   

Table' e' the'

These pieces of furniture are symmetrical by form but asymmetrical in its carvings and inlays. It is fascinating how he designed most of his work in emphasis to make corners and points finished with shapes of tree branches and stalks. The engravings were essentially floral in style. Apart from the inlays, Galle also had inlaid quotations in all of his designs from leading contemporary symbolist authors such as Paul Verlaine.

Emile Gallé (1846-1904). 2014. Emile Gallé (1846-1904). [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.art-nouveau-around-the-world.org/en/artistes/galle.htm. [Accessed 24 November 2014].