Topic > f muchaescan beauty surrounded by its characteristic symbols was enshrined in advertisements, magazine covers and illustrations, book covers, posters, paintings and numerous artifacts. Art Nouveau is the decorative style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries that flourished primarily in Europe and the United States. Although it influenced painting and sculpture, its main manifestations were in architecture and the decorative and graphic arts. It is characterized by sinuous and asymmetric lines based on organic shapes; in a broader sense it encompasses the geometric and more abstract patterns and rhythms that evolved as part of the general reaction to 19th-century historicism. There are wide variations in the style depending on where it appeared and the materials used: "floral madness, linen hysteria, strange decorative disease, free style for all", such were the terms with which its contemporaries described Art Nouveau, the first international design style. Art Nouveau was the rebellion against the entire Victorian sensibility, rooted as it was in the past. The exponents of the style hoped to revolutionize every aspect of design to establish a standard compatible with the new era. Art Nouveau was a direct descendant of the Arts and Crafts movement and influenced by Celtic ornamentation and Japanese woodblock prints, resulting in an international style based on decoration.