| By :
Mark Etinger
Serge Mouille once said that "The form is always determined by the material." Mouille was a silversmith, yet his conviction can be applied to all other forms of art, from painting in oil colors and being limited (or encouraged) by letting them dry, to writing, which shows up increasingly on LCD screens instead of paper. When it comes to Mouille's work, however, he was able to master metals and shape them into designs never before seen due to his thousands of hours of practice. Part of Serge Mouille's aesthetic appeal is in his minimalism. As a young lad he studied organic forms, from his drawings in the Botanical Gardens to his boyhood adventures in Gatinais. Resultantly his work is devoid of rococo stylings and fixtures and turns instead to the simplest elegance: black naturally shaped metal lighting fixtures. Many of the forms come from conch shells or snails; but Mouille himself admitted that his lamps were to be touched and compared them to parts of the female anatomy. In mid century modern lighting, the most popular designs are the standing floor lamp and modern ceiling lamps. Instead of being based to the floor or the ceiling by thick metal beams, a dynamic tension is created using thinly angled metal legs. Since Mouille was a master he knew exactly how long his standing floor lamps could be without toppling, and so these lamps look like they are ready to strike, yet are solid and stable. But where Serge Mouille's work moves from the realm of art into the functional, he ensures that the quality of his lighting and the maneuverability is of the utmost excellence. The lamp's pivoting arms allow illumination in any direction; the recession of the bulb in the socket makes for brightness without being blinding, and the open ends of the lamp diffuse light over broad areas. Serge Mouille worked to create the best metal lighting fixtures the world had yet seen. His modern light fixtures come in different shapes and sizes and styles, from the spider lamp to sconce lighting . He also created custom mid century modern lamps and became an electrical architect, working the electrical installations in the homes of his clients as well. Today Serge Mouille is known as a master of modern design lighting. The best part about his art is that you can own it in your home and understand its functionality and beauty firsthand.
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