Fin de siecle

DEFINITION

A French term whose English meaning is &#39;end of the century&#39;, it refers primarily to Art Nouveau and aestheticism of the 1890???s or late 19th Century, which is sometimes termed ???decadent art??? because it was considered overly, self-consciously &#39;sophisticated&#39;. An artist best known for this period was Englishman Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898). Source: Julia M. Ehresmann, "The Pocket Dictionary of Art Terms"<br><br>French for "end of the century." During the twentieth century, this referred to the art of the 1890s ? especially the art of aestheticism and Art Nouveau ? which is sometimes known as "decadent art." An artist who epitomizes this period is Aubrey Beardsley (English, 1872-1898). When used in art criticism fin de si?cle often connotes the idea of a style or movement on the decline. As the end of the twentieth century drew near, this term has been used increasingly to refer to the 1990s. The French for "beginning of the century" ? d?but de si?cle ? while more rarely used, has been used both for the first decade of the 1900s, and inevitably for that of the 2000s.(pr. fan duh see-EK-l&#601;)Examples: Sir Thomas Malory (British, 15th c.), Author; Aubrey Beardsley (British, 1872-1898), Illustrator; London: J. M. Dent and Co., 1893, Publisher, Morte d&#39;Arthur, 1893, printed book; 12 pts. : ill. , pl. ; 26 cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY.Illustrated: Aubrey Beardsley&#39;s design for the printed paper wrapper from Part I. See illustration.Aubrey Beardsley, Messalina and her Companion, 1895, pencil, ink wash and watercolor on paper, 27.9 x 17.8 cm, Tate Modern, London.Related resource: ArtMagic is a "non-profit virtual art gallery" displaying fin de si?cle art and also offers an MP3 archive filled with the wistful music of this era. Also see art for art&#39;s sake and Symbolism.