Art Nouveau by Victor Horta (Brussels, Belgium — 1893) — Questions and answers

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What was a very special and new thing about the Hôtel Tassel?

Choices

  1. A) It was made of wood.
  2. B) It had hidden ironwork.
  3. C) It showed off its ironwork outside. ✓
  4. D) It was painted green.

Answer: C) It showed off its ironwork outside.

From page 1

What did Victor notice about the iron and glass in the Royal Greenhouses that made him wonder?

Choices

  1. A) It was very heavy and stuck to the ground.
  2. B) It looked like painted flowers.
  3. C) It mimicked the veins in a leaf, being strong yet delicate. ✓
  4. D) It was made of plastic instead of iron.

Answer: C) It mimicked the veins in a leaf, being strong yet delicate.

From page 2

What special secret did Victor learn from the kind baker, George?

Choices

  1. A) How to make the best bread in Brussels.
  2. B) How to activate secret doors using recipes. ✓
  3. C) How to paint beautiful pictures.
  4. D) How to build tall buildings.

Answer: B) How to activate secret doors using recipes.

From page 3

What did Horta realize when he saw Eugène Grasset's poster in Paris?

Choices

  1. A) That architecture should be very simple.
  2. B) That art should reject nature.
  3. C) That art must embrace nature. ✓
  4. D) That posters are not art.

Answer: C) That art must embrace nature.

From page 4

What special request did Émile Tassel have for Horta's house design?

Choices

  1. A) He wanted a house that looked exactly like others.
  2. B) He wanted a house that celebrated old traditions.
  3. C) He wanted a house that embraced the future and natural beauty. ✓
  4. D) He wanted a house with very simple, plain walls.

Answer: C) He wanted a house that embraced the future and natural beauty.

From page 6

What did Horta show other architects and designers with his Art Nouveau style?

Choices

  1. A) That architecture should always follow old traditions.
  2. B) That buildings should only be functional, not beautiful.
  3. C) That architecture can be both functional and beautiful. ✓
  4. D) That art is only found in paintings, not buildings.

Answer: C) That architecture can be both functional and beautiful.

From page 9

What did a young woman realize about Horta's work when looking at the staircase?

Choices

  1. A) That it was very traditional.
  2. B) That it started with the simple beauty of a flower. ✓
  3. C) That Horta only used very expensive materials.
  4. D) That no one else understood his ideas.

Answer: B) That it started with the simple beauty of a flower.

From page 10