Art Deco: What is Art Deco?
Art Deco, its name was derived from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, held in Paris in 1925, where the style was first exhibited. Art Deco can also be called style moderne. Art Deco is an elegant style of decorative art, design and architecture which began as a Modernist reaction against the Art Nouveau style. It is a key decorative art style of the 1920s and 1930s- a movement in the decorative arts and architecture that originated in the 1920s and developed into a major style in Western Europe and the United States during the 1930s. It is categorized by specific and daringly delineates geometric shapes and strong colours and used most particularly in household objects and in architecture. It developed originally in the 1920s with revitalization in the 1960s, noticeable by geometric motifs, curved forms, sharply
…show more content…
of the 21st century, especially in buildings and homes which retain the authentic decor of the 1920s and 1930.
Characteristics of Art Deco:
Art Deco design represents modernism turned into fashion. Its products included both individually crafted luxury items and mass-produced wares, but, in either case, the intention was to create a sleek and anti-traditional elegance that symbolized wealth and sophistication.
Art Deco architecture represented logical progress, and the subsequent rise of trade, technology, and speed .Employing new building materials that were manipulated into stepped, radiating styles that contrast brusquely with the fluid motif of Art Nouveau,. Together with its image as a modern, magnificent style, it is especially appropriate for the interior design of cinemas, ocean liners such as the Queen Mary, and the architecture of train stations across the United States. It endures throughout the Depression due to the realism and minimalism of its design, and its idea of better times ahead.
Material used in Art
Though the start of the modernisation may trace back to the beginning of Industrial Revolution. “Modernism in the design world did not exist in a fully developed form, until well after First World War.” (Wilk, 2006) Causing the great loss of lives and other countless damage to the world, it reshaped many people’s way of thinking the world. With the inspiration of early avant-garde movement, the modernism began to emerge advocating an utopian future and shared certain core principles by various styles of modernists: rejecting the past and applied ornament; forms follow function, a preference for
In the 1920's Art Deco was a popular form of art. It also influenced architecture, fashion, and furniture. Art Deco used bold geometric shapes and strong colors. It used concrete, smooth stone, and terracotta as materials. Art Deco represented modernism and a bright future.
Art deco refers mainly to “style[s] of the 1920’s and 1930’s, characterized by precise and boldly delineated geometric shapes and strong colors” (“Art Deco”). Communities “encouraged quirky, eye[-]catching family businesses that often featured kitsch items for sale” (Hurt et al. 46). These attractions have dwindled to near extinction. While some remain intact, although no longer operating as originally established, many are being restored in hopes of attracting more tourists.
“The good building is not one that hurts the landscape, but one which makes the landscape more beautiful than it was before the building was built” (Frank Lloyd Wright). Throughout the centuries, architecture has fascinated everyone. History is inscribed in buildings and they can express the political and economic power of a nation. Although time has gone by, buildings have not. You can still idolize ancient Egyptian and Greek architecture and see how the events that occurred at that time influenced them.
Modernism describes the ideology of the art and design that were produced during the modernist period. There has been a lot of controversy about when modernism started, yet many believe it initiated sometime in the late 19th century and continued to the early 20th century. The modernist movement was meant to be a break from traditions and it was set up to separate the value of certain works from the conservative realism. For instance, Unlike the traditional art that was aesthetic, this movement was more about space and form. In modernist design, shape and organization of products and buildings were based on their functional requirements. As a result, designs became simpler without the traditional decorative concepts. The idea behind the
Painters, musicians, and novelists could easily flourish during this time. American artists experimented with their craft and tried out different techniques that weren’t as popular in the 1900s and 1910s. In painting, artists created a new style called Art Deco was being created (Scott). Art Deco is a decorative art that largely affects architecture, and variety of interesting materials can be used in Art Deco, such as aluminum, stainless steel, lacquer, inlaid wood, sharkskin, and zebra skin. Art Deco also incorporates zigzag patterns, steps, sweeping curves, chevron patters, and sunburst. Well known American painters from the 1920s of Art Deco are Max Parrish and Cole Phillips (Scott). Another art form popularized in the 1920s was surrealism. It began to catch fire after the end of WWI and utilized techniques such as automatic drawing, automatic painting, decalcomania, frottage, fumage, grattage, and parsemage. Many surrealist paintings were made with the intention of looking dream-like and shocking audiences. Some pieces contained violence, nudity, and decay (1920s Art). Another type of art in the 1920s was modernism. Modernists, such as Georgia O’Keefe, broke away from traditional ideas. O’Keefe’s paintings were mainly influenced by the city scene and south west landscapes, such as “Ram’s Head with Hollyshock and Little Hills”
However, Art Deco was focused more on angular, geometric shapes, abstract patterns and a slick technological look (Striner 23). The main goal of the Art Deco movement was to “[serve] as an important channel between radical and traditionalist design responses to twentieth-century challenges” (Striner 21). With the constant changes happening in society it was hard to find a balance, and the Art Deco movement was an attempt to find that balance between traditionalism and modernism (Striner 24). Traditionalists were typically conservative, religious people from rural areas. They wanted to preserve their traditional and religious values (Lüsted 12). Modernists however, embraced the social change and advocated new ideologies, such as, liberalism, the sexual revolution, atheism, evolution, and socialism. Modernists were typically young, urban people who rejected traditional restrictions and values, especially those surrounding gender roles (Lüsted 12). In Fitzgerald’s novel the traditionalists are represented by the people of East Egg like Tom and Daisy Buchanan who come from money and do not really have to work in order to be successful. The modernists are represented by the people of West Egg such as Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway who did not necessarily come from a lot of money and had to work in order to become successful. They are the people who have dreams and have to work hard in order to achieve those dreams. Much like how the traditionalists frequently did not see eye
Art Nouveau, 1890-1914, explores a new style in the visual arts and architecture that developed in Europe and North America at the end of the nineteenth century. The exhibition is divided into three sections: the first focuses on the 1900 World's Fair in Paris, where Art Nouveau was established as the first new decorative style of the twentieth century; the second examines the sources that influenced the style; and the third looks at its development and fruition in major cities in Europe and North
Writers, painters, and other artists produced some of the greatest work in the nation's history. During the 1920s, the main styles of architecture that emerged were Art Deco and Modern architecture. The Art Deco development began in Paris, however rapidly spread around Europe and over to America. The style was created at Bauhaus, a school in Germany that got to be acclaimed for its approach to the motif.
Its style combined classical ideas from the ancient Greek, Roman, and Romanesque architecture and deployed their ideas into its architecture (Carven, 7/27/2016). The Beaux’s Art style influenced architecture between 1880 and 1920, but its popularity ended with economic hardships from the great depression.
Modernism is a very broad term that is often misconstrued. “Modern” art is used to describe art that has been created recently. The word people mean to use is “contemporary”. Modern art is a tough adjective to define. Modern art has many definitions including 1920s through 1940s, Dadaist, and streaming consciousness. However, conspicuous consumption is the term that should always be thought of when someone mentions modernism and that art associated with it. Modernism can be defined using Thorstein Veblen’s conspicuous consumption.
Modernist architecture applies to a group of styles that emerged early in the 20th century and continued as a dominant architectural style well into the 1960s.
Art deco included luxury items as well as mass-produced products, but both wings had the intention to create modern and anti-traditional designs that illustrated wealth and elegance.
The art deco movement was the most fashionable and international design movement in the modern art from1925 until the 1940s. this exemplary movement had major influences on people and some great examples of this movement are the geometric designs on New York’s famous Chrysler building and Rockefeller Centre.
Post Modernism architecture originated as an international style in America around the 1960’s to 1970’s and quickly spread throughout the rest of the world. The goal of the Post Modernism movement was that it was a reaction against Modernism and rejected the modernist desire for