Art nouveau - Elves' Architecture and Design
Is there anybody else out there who was absolutely delighted with the art nouveau elements seen in Rivendell and Lothlorien? I admit, I'm particularly partial to art nouveau - it's my favorite design style. But trying very hard to be objective, I think it was completely perfect for the elves and their life-style. The basic elements are natural - flowers, trees, leaves etc. - yet they are formal, stylized, very graceful and elegant. And the elves themselves, especially the females (Galadriel, Arwen et al), could be straight from an early 20th century print - tall, almost boyishly slender, long rippling hair.<BR>Considering that Tolkien was in his youth at that time, I think it's very possible that he had that style in the back of his mind while describing elves and their surroundings. Art nouveau is timeless, unaging beauty - like the elves themselves.
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth.. .'
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