A Golden Moment

I always had a preference for silver accents when it came down to the question of silver or gold. From kitchen cabinet hardware to jewelry chains and ring bands and the metal letters on the car that indicate its model, I've always preferred the silver hue of nickel and chrome to the golden hue of brass. Lately, though, I've been loving the gold!

I was digging deep and asking myself the tough questions that lead to this change of heart. I thought about all of the reading I'd been doing about one of my favorite periods in art history lately: the Vienna Secession. Images of Gustav Klimt's beautiful gold leaf paintings and the white and gold contrast of Joseph Olbrich's Secession Building in Austria started popping into my head. Aha! Perhaps that's what has been influencing me. Check them out:

Gustav Klimt's Adele Block-Bauer I:

Joseph Olbrich's Secession Building and its details:

The Vienna Secession developed in the late 19th century and carried on into the early 20th century, with its active years about parallel to that of the Art Nouveau movement. It was comprised of a school of painters, craftsmen, and architects who sought to reject the pomp and formality of the flamboyant architecture and design that dominated most of the 19th century. They instead favored a return to more natural and functional forms. There was no strictly unifying "look" to this artistic movement, but rather a collective spirit to the art and designs that defined it. The movement's motto was, "To the age, its art. To art, its freedom."

Now let's look at some fun, modern day pieces with golden-hued designs that I've been loving lately! (Mind you, these are not Vienna Secession designs. They're just pretty. And golden.)