I think you mean Art Deco.
No, Nouveau. That cathedral in Barcelona freaks me out (is Gaudi Nouveau or just weird?). And there are some buildings in Europe with wriggly facades that would drive me nuts if I lived there.
Edit: I love Deco architecture, the curves and angles are primarily decorative, I believe, but the rooms have a reassuringly pedestrian squareness to them.
Gaudi? Expressionist. AND weird.
I'd say Gaudi is Art Nouveau's twisted step-child.
Art Nouveau is turn-of-the-century, organic, plant-inspired design, think, the Metro entrances in Paris, some of Tiffany's glasswork.
Art Deco is 20s and 30s and all about being functional and modern, think, the Chrysler building.
Gaudi? Expressionist. AND weird.
OK. It still looks like the House Cthulhu Built.
Art Nouveau was from 1890s to about 1914 (rectilinear until the turn of the century, curvilinear after that. Approximately). It's linked to the Arts & Crafts movement, but not the same. Art Deco lasted from about 1920-1937ish.
I think Caligari is expressionist, as it was shown in my theatre history class because the sets were similar to what was happening in theatre at the time.
Gaudi was Modernist - they used the same lines as Nouveau, but twisted them to hell and back.
the Chrysler building
One of the world's most perfect skyscrapers. I love Nouveau for small things--jewelry, lamps, etc.--but the Metro entrances are on the borderline. I suspect my Puritan ancestors had a lot more influence on my artistic tastes than I thought. I am not often experimental.
I like both, they're just really different and my boss thinks they are interchangeable and it drives me bonkers.
We have a book whose design is based on Art Nouveau, so we have to use these terms to describe it and she is constantly challenging me on this.
Really, "I have a PhD in this sh*t, will you just trust me on this and shut it?" is in standard rotation in my sh*t-I-didn't-say file.