Motifs of Art Nouveau in Lithuanian and Latvian Prose

Art Nouveau left imprint in both Lithuania and Latvia. The style had a great impact on the art of printing since a great number of ornate books and albums were published in Vilnius and in Riga. In prose Art Nouveau is reflected in worldviews and ideas. Young Lithuanian and Latvian writers aspired to modern content of prose. They were influenced by Art Nouveau wich flourished in Europe at that time. The characteristics of this style can be seen in short stories. The ideas expressed in fine art were adopted in literature – the same themes and motifs can be traced there. Art and literature are united by the vision of the unity of the world, exaltation and admiration of aesthetic forms. The adoption of Art Nouveau from German literature was a creative process, as well as adapting the ideas to the experience of Baltic culture. Still, Latvian prose was more influenced by the German tradition. Lithuanian writers received new stylistics in a more reserved way. However, Art Nouveau inspired the Baltic prose to search of a new contentLituanistikos katedraVytauto Didžiojo universiteta