One of the defining emblems of the Art Nouveau movement was the whiplash motif. It has been known by various other names and formats, ranging from ‘noodle’ to ‘tapeworm’ but the moniker of ‘whiplash’ has stayed with the movement.

Via:
http://www.vollok.com/the-art-nouveau-whiplash.html

Just like Mitt Romney said - Corporations are people too!