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 arts, book design, poster art, and, of course, painting. The new direction in art was called modernism. There were many artists, architects, and designers who represented the modern style in European art and the art of America. Among the most famous were the Czech theatrical artist and illustrator Alphonse Mucha, the famous Austrian artist Gustav Klimt, and perhaps the most original Spanish architect Antonio Gaudí.