Difference between revisions of "Art Deco" - New World Encyclopedia

From New World Encyclopedia
m (Protected "Art Deco": Copyedited [edit=sysop:move=sysop])
 
(22 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
 
{{images OK}}{{submitted}}{{approved}}{{Copyedited}}
 
{{images OK}}{{submitted}}{{approved}}{{Copyedited}}
{{Imagestack|
 
[[Image:Chrysler building- top.jpg|thumb|The art-deco [[spire]] of the [[Chrysler Building]] in New York, built 1928–1930.]]
 
[[Image:Buffalo City Hall - 001.jpg|thumb|[[Buffalo City Hall|City Hall]] of [[Buffalo, New York]], an art-deco [[building]].]]
 
}}
 
  
'''Art Deco''' was a popular international design movement from 1925 until 1939, affecting the decorative arts such as [[architecture]], [[interior design]], and [[industrial design]], as well as the [[visual arts]] such as [[fashion]], [[painting]], the [[graphic arts]] and [[film]]. This movement was an amalgam of many different styles and movements of the early twentieth century, including [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]], [[Constructivism (art)|Constructivism]], [[Cubism]], [[Modernism]], [[Bauhaus]], [[Art Nouveau]], and [[Futurism]].
+
[[Image:Chrysler building- top.jpg|thumb|300px|The art-deco [[spire]] of the [[Chrysler Building]] in New York, built 1928–1930.]]
 +
 
 +
'''Art Deco''' was a popular international design movement from 1925 until 1939, affecting the decorative arts such as [[architecture]], [[interior design]], and [[industrial design]], as well as the [[visual arts]] including [[fashion]], [[painting]], the [[graphic arts]], and [[film]]. This movement was an amalgam of many different styles and movements of the early twentieth century, including [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]], [[Constructivism (art)|Constructivism]], [[Cubism]], [[Modernism]], [[Bauhaus]], [[Art Nouveau]], and [[Futurism]].
  
 
Art Deco experienced a decline in popularity during the late 1930s and early 1940s, and soon fell out of public favor. The time frame was roughly from the World's Fair in Paris in 1925 to the [[World's Fair]] in New York in 1939. Afterward, Art Deco experienced a resurgence with the advent of [[graphic design]] in the 1980s. Surviving examples may still be seen in many different locations worldwide, in countries as diverse as the [[United Kingdom]], [[Cuba]], the [[Phillipines]], and [[Brazil]]. Many classic examples still exist in the form of architecture in many major cities. The Chrysler building, designed by [[William Van Alen]], is a classic example of this, as it is one of the most notable examples of Art Deco architecture today. Other prominent examples include the [[Empire State Building]] and the [[New Yorker Hotel]] in [[New York City]].
 
Art Deco experienced a decline in popularity during the late 1930s and early 1940s, and soon fell out of public favor. The time frame was roughly from the World's Fair in Paris in 1925 to the [[World's Fair]] in New York in 1939. Afterward, Art Deco experienced a resurgence with the advent of [[graphic design]] in the 1980s. Surviving examples may still be seen in many different locations worldwide, in countries as diverse as the [[United Kingdom]], [[Cuba]], the [[Phillipines]], and [[Brazil]]. Many classic examples still exist in the form of architecture in many major cities. The Chrysler building, designed by [[William Van Alen]], is a classic example of this, as it is one of the most notable examples of Art Deco architecture today. Other prominent examples include the [[Empire State Building]] and the [[New Yorker Hotel]] in [[New York City]].
 +
{{toc}}
  
 
While most of the modern art movements were grounded in ideology, Art Deco was a celebration of modern life and style, seeking elegance over philosophical content.
 
While most of the modern art movements were grounded in ideology, Art Deco was a celebration of modern life and style, seeking elegance over philosophical content.
  
 
==History==
 
==History==
After the [[Exposition Universelle (1900)|Universal Exposition of 1900]], various French artists formed an informal collective known as, ''La Société des artistes décorateurs'' (the society of the decorator artists). Founders included [[Hector Guimard]], [[Eugène Grasset]], Raoul Lachenal, Paul Follot, Maurice Dufrene, and Emile Decour. These artists heavily influenced the principles of Art Deco as a whole. This society's purpose was to demonstrate French decorative art's leading position and evolution internationally. They organized the 1925 ''[[Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes]]'' (International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Art) in Paris, which would feature French art and business interests.<ref name="Paris 1925 Exhibition">[http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1157_art_deco/virtual/gallery1/paris1925.htm The Paris 1925 Exhibition]. ''V&A Publishers''. accessdate 2008-10-30</ref><ref name="Encyclopedia of Art Deco">Alastair Duncan, (ed.) ''The Encyclopedia of Art Deco: A Visual Guide to the Influential Design Movement.'' (original 1988) (London: Grange Books, 2005. ISBN 1840138238)</ref> The terms ''Style Moderne'' and ''Art Deco'' both derive from the exposition's title, though ''Art Deco'' was not widely used until popularized by art historian Bevis Hillier's 1968 book ''Art Deco of the 20s and 30s.''<ref>Bevis Hillier. ''Art Deco of the 20s and 30s.'' (Studio Vista/Dutton picturebacks, 1968. ISBN 978-0289277881)</ref>
+
[[Image:Buffalo City Hall - 001.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Buffalo City Hall|City Hall]] of [[Buffalo, New York]], an art-deco [[building]].]]
 +
After the [[Exposition Universelle (1900)|Universal Exposition of 1900]], various French artists formed an informal collective known as, ''La Société des artistes décorateurs'' (the society of the decorator artists). Founders included [[Hector Guimard]], [[Eugène Grasset]], Raoul Lachenal, Paul Follot, Maurice Dufrene, and Emile Decour. These artists heavily influenced the principles of Art Deco as a whole. This society's purpose was to demonstrate French decorative art's leading position and evolution internationally. They organized the 1925 ''[[Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes]]'' (International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Art) in Paris, which would feature French art and business interests.<ref name="Encyclopedia of Art Deco">Alastair Duncan, (ed.), ''The Encyclopedia of Art Deco: A Visual Guide to the Influential Design Movement'' (original 1988) (London: Grange Books, 2005, ISBN 1840138238).</ref> The terms ''Style Moderne'' and ''Art Deco'' both derive from the exposition's title, though ''Art Deco'' was not widely used until popularized by art historian Bevis Hillier's 1968 book ''Art Deco of the 20s and 30s.''<ref>Bevis Hillier, ''Art Deco of the 20s and 30s'' (Studio Vista/Dutton picturebacks, 1968, ISBN 978-0289277881).</ref>
  
In the summer of 1969, Hillier conceived organizing an exhibition called ''Art Deco'' at the [[Minneapolis Institute of Arts]],<ref>[http://www.pheebay.com/?so-what-is-art-deco-design-472.html So What Is Art Deco Design?]. accessdate 2008-10-30</ref> which took place from July to September 1971. After this event, interest in Art Deco peaked with the publication of his 1971 book ''The World of Art Deco,'' a record of the exhibition.<ref>Bevis Hillier. ''The World of Art Deco.'' (New York: E.P. Dutton & Co Inc, 1971. ISBN 9780525482383)</ref>
+
In the summer of 1969, Hillier conceived organizing an exhibition called ''Art Deco'' at the [[Minneapolis Institute of Arts]], which took place from July to September 1971. After this event, interest in Art Deco peaked with the publication of his 1971 book ''The World of Art Deco,'' a record of the exhibition.<ref name=Hillier>Bevis Hillier, ''The World of Art Deco'' (New York: E.P. Dutton & Co Inc, 1971, ISBN 9780525482383).</ref>
  
 
==Sources==
 
==Sources==
 
The structure of Art Deco is based on mathematical geometric shapes.
 
The structure of Art Deco is based on mathematical geometric shapes.
It was widely considered to be an eclectic form of elegant and stylish modernism which derived from a variety of sources. Among them were the so-called "primitive" arts of [[Africa]], [[Ancient Egypt]],<ref>[http://www.vintageperiods.com/artdeco.php Art Deco Design: Major Decorative Style of the Roaring Twenties]. ''vintageperiods.com''. Retrieved November 20, 2008.</ref> and [[Aztec]] [[Mexico]], as well as [[Machine Age|machine-age]]<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/nal/guides/art_deco/index.html Victoria & Albert Museum - Art Deco Study Guide]. Retrieved November 20, 2008.</ref> or [[streamliner|streamline]] technology such as modern [[aviation]], electric [[lighting]], the [[radio]], the [[ocean liner]] and the [[skyscraper]]. It is in Streamline Moderne styles that this technology fully manifests itself and, although it is not antithetical to Art Deco, it is now considered to be a separate architectural style.<ref>[http://www.decopix.com/New%20Site/Pages/Directory%20Pages/Intro.html Art Deco - An Introduction]. ''decopix.com''. Retrieved November 20, 2008.</ref>
+
It was widely considered to be an eclectic form of elegant and stylish modernism which derived from a variety of sources. Among them were the so-called "primitive" arts of [[Africa]], [[Ancient Egypt]], and [[Aztec]] [[Mexico]], as well as [[Machine Age|machine-age]] or [[streamliner|streamline]] technology such as modern [[aviation]], electric [[lighting]], the [[radio]], the [[ocean liner]] and the [[skyscraper]]. It is in Streamline Moderne styles that this technology fully manifests itself and, although it is not antithetical to Art Deco, it is now considered to be a separate architectural style.<ref> Alastair Duncan, ''Art Deco Complete'' (Harry N. Abrams, 2009, ISBN 978-0810980464).</ref>
  
[[Image:Eastern Columbia Building entrance.jpg|thumb|[[Terra cotta]] [[Sunburst (design)|sunburst design]] in gold behind sky blue and deep blue above the front doors of the [[Eastern Columbia Building]] in Los Angeles]]
+
[[Image:Eastern Columbia Building entrance.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Terra cotta]] [[Sunburst (design)|sunburst design]] in gold behind sky blue and deep blue above the front doors of the [[Eastern Columbia Building]] in Los Angeles]]
Art Deco design influences were expressed in fractionated, crystalline, faceted forms of decorative [[Cubism]] and [[Futurism]], in [[Fauvism]]'s palette.<ref>Charlotte Jirousek, 1995, [http://char.txa.cornell.edu/art/decart/artdeco/artdeco.htm Cornell University - Art, Design, and Visual Thinking - Art Deco]. ''Cornell University''. Retrieved November 20, 2008.</ref> Other popular themes in Art Deco were trapezoidal, zigzagged, geometric, and jumbled shapes,<ref name="The Modern Style" /> which can be seen in many early pieces. Two great examples of these themes and styles are in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]: the [[Fisher Building]] and the [[Guardian Building]].<ref>Rebecca Binno Savage and Greg Kowalski. ''Art Deco in Detroit (Images of America).'' (Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Press, 2004. ISBN 0738532282).</ref>
+
Art Deco design influences were expressed in fractionated, crystalline, faceted forms of decorative [[Cubism]] and [[Futurism]], in [[Fauvism]]'s palette.<ref>Charlotte Jirousek, [http://char.txa.cornell.edu/ART/DECART/ARTDECO/artdeco.htm Art, Design, and Visual Thinking - Art Deco] ''Cornell University'', 1995. Retrieved March 5, 2021.</ref> Other popular themes in Art Deco were trapezoidal, zigzagged, geometric, and jumbled shapes, which can be seen in many early pieces. Two great examples of these themes and styles are in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]: the [[Fisher Building]] and the [[Guardian Building]].<ref>Rebecca Binno Savage and Greg Kowalski, ''Art Deco in Detroit (Images of America)'' (Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Press, 2004, ISBN 0738532282).</ref>
  
Corresponding to these influences, Art Deco is characterized by use of materials such as [[aluminum]], [[stainless steel]], lacquer, inlaid wood, sharkskin ([[shagreen]]), and zebraskin.<ref>Patrick Kapty, 1999, [http://www.mschon.com/1920307.html Art Deco: 1920 - 1930]. ''mschon.com''. accessdate 2008-10-30</ref><ref name="The Modern Style">Carol Fisher, [http://artantiques.allinfo-about.com/weekly/features/artdeco.html Art Deco - The Modern Style]. ''artantiques''. accessdate 2008-10-30</ref> The bold use of stepped forms and sweeping curves (unlike the sinuous, natural curves of the [[Art Nouveau]]),<ref name="Art Deco Jewelry" /><ref name="Encarta Online">Mark Hewitt, [http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761577794/art_deco.html Art Deco]. ''Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia'', accessdate 2008-10-30</ref> [[Chevron (insigne)|chevron]] patterns, and the [[Sunburst (design)|sunburst]] motif are typical of Art Deco. Some of these motifs were ubiquitous–for example, sunburst motifs were used in such varied contexts as ladies' shoes, radiator grilles, the auditorium of the [[Radio City Music Hall]], and the spire of the [[Chrysler Building]].
+
Corresponding to these influences, Art Deco is characterized by use of materials such as [[aluminum]], [[stainless steel]], lacquer, inlaid wood, sharkskin ([[shagreen]]), and zebraskin. The bold use of stepped forms and sweeping curves (unlike the sinuous, natural curves of the [[Art Nouveau]]), [[Chevron (insigne)|chevron]] patterns, and the [[Sunburst (design)|sunburst]] motif are typical of Art Deco. Some of these motifs were ubiquitous–for example, sunburst motifs were used in such varied contexts as ladies' shoes, radiator grilles, the auditorium of the [[Radio City Music Hall]], and the spire of the [[Chrysler Building]].
  
 
==Attributes==
 
==Attributes==
 
===Architecture and Interior Design===
 
===Architecture and Interior Design===
Art Deco was an opulent style, and its lavishness is attributed to reaction to the forced austerity imposed by [[World War I]]. Its rich, festive character fitted it for "modern" contexts, including the [[Golden Gate Bridge]], interiors of cinema [[theater]]s (such as the [[Paramount Theater (Oakland, California)|Paramount Theater]] in [[Oakland]], [[California]]) and [[ocean liner]]s such as the ''[[SS Île de France|Île de France]],'' the ''[[RMS Queen Mary|Queen Mary]],'' and ''[[SS Normandie|Normandie]].'' Art Deco was employed extensively throughout America's train stations in the 1930s,<ref> [http://www.agilitynut.com/train.html ''Art Deco Train Stations'']. Retrieved November 20, 2008.</ref> designed to reflect the modernity and efficiency of the train. The first art-deco train station in the United States was the [[Union Station (Omaha)|Union Station]] in [[Omaha, Nebraska]].<ref>Carla Johnson, 2001, ''[http://www.southplattepress.com/current/unionstation.html Union Pacific and Omaha Union Station:A History pf Union Pacific Railroad Passenger Station in Omaha, Nebraska 1866-1971.]'' (South Platte Press), 24. Retrieved November 20, 2008.</ref> The unveiling of streamlined trains paralleled the construction of the art deco stations.
+
Art Deco was an opulent style, and its lavishness is attributed to reaction to the forced austerity imposed by [[World War I]]. Its rich, festive character fitted it for "modern" contexts, including the [[Golden Gate Bridge]], interiors of cinema [[theater]]s (such as the [[Paramount Theater (Oakland, California)|Paramount Theater]] in [[Oakland]], [[California]]) and [[ocean liner]]s such as the ''[[SS Île de France|Île de France]],'' the ''[[RMS Queen Mary|Queen Mary]],'' and ''[[SS Normandie|Normandie]].'' Art Deco was employed extensively throughout America's train stations in the 1930s, designed to reflect the modernity and efficiency of the train. The first art-deco train station in the United States was the [[Union Station (Omaha)|Union Station]] in [[Omaha, Nebraska]].<ref>Carla Johnson, ''Union Pacific and Omaha Union Station'' (J & L Lee Co., 2000, 978-0934904445).</ref> The unveiling of streamlined trains paralleled the construction of the art deco stations.
  
 
===1925 World's Fair===
 
===1925 World's Fair===
 
+
The term "Art Deco" comes from the ''Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes'' (International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts), the [[World's fair]] held in [[Paris]], [[France]] from April to October 1925. It was derived by shortening the words "''Arts Décoratifs''" in the title of the exposition.<ref>Theodore Menten, ''The Art Deco Style in Household Objects, Architecture, Sculpture, Graphics, Jewelry'' (Courier Dover, 1972, ISBN 048622824X).</ref> Artistic creation in the [[Roaring Twenties|''années folles'']] in France is marked by this event, when on this occasion many ideas of the international avant-garde in the fields of architecture and applied arts were brought together. This major event of the 1920s was located between the esplanade of [[Les Invalides]] and the entrances of the [[Grand Palais]] and [[Petit Palais]]. It received 4000 guests at the inauguration on April 28, and thousands of visitors each of the following days.
The term "Art Deco" comes from the ''Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes'' (International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts), the [[World's fair]] held in [[Paris]], [[France]] from April to October 1925. It was derived by shortening the words "''Arts Décoratifs''" in the title of the exposition.<ref>Theodore Menten. ''The Art Deco Style in Household Objects, Architecture, Sculpture, Graphics, Jewelry.'' (Courier Dover, 1972, ISBN 048622824X)</ref> Artistic creation in the [[Roaring Twenties|''années folles'']] in France is marked by this event, when on this occasion many ideas of the international avant-garde in the fields of architecture and applied arts were brought together. This major event of the 1920s was located between the esplanade of [[Les Invalides]] and the entrances of the [[Grand Palais]] and [[Petit Palais]]. It received 4000 guests at the inauguration on April 28, and thousands of visitors each of the following days.
 
  
 
This exhibition generated the term Art Deco to describe designs in terms of a broad decoratively "modern" style, characterized by a streamlined classicism and facetted, crystalline structures, embellished with decorative references to sleek machinery, and recurrent motifs of stylized fountains,<ref>[[René Lalique]]'s crystal tower fountain was a prominent set-piece of the Exposition.</ref> gazelles,<ref>The Exposition poster, by [[Robert Bonfils]], imitating the look of a [[Woodcut|woodblock]] print, featured a modern athletic [[nymph]] and a racing gazelle.</ref> lightning flashes, "[[Aztec]]" motifs and similar repertory, derived in part from [[Cubism|Decorative Cubism]].  
 
This exhibition generated the term Art Deco to describe designs in terms of a broad decoratively "modern" style, characterized by a streamlined classicism and facetted, crystalline structures, embellished with decorative references to sleek machinery, and recurrent motifs of stylized fountains,<ref>[[René Lalique]]'s crystal tower fountain was a prominent set-piece of the Exposition.</ref> gazelles,<ref>The Exposition poster, by [[Robert Bonfils]], imitating the look of a [[Woodcut|woodblock]] print, featured a modern athletic [[nymph]] and a racing gazelle.</ref> lightning flashes, "[[Aztec]]" motifs and similar repertory, derived in part from [[Cubism|Decorative Cubism]].  
Line 40: Line 39:
  
 
===Streamline Moderne===
 
===Streamline Moderne===
[[Image:1934ChryslerAirflow.jpg|thumb|1934 [[Chrysler Airflow]] sedan]]
+
[[Image:1934ChryslerAirflow.jpg|thumb|400px0px|1934 [[Chrysler Airflow]] sedan]]
[[Image:Nash Ambassador Slipstream 4-door sedan.jpg|thumb|1942 [[Nash Ambassador]] Slipstream sedan.]]
+
[[Image:Nash Ambassador Slipstream 4-door sedan.jpg|thumb|400px|1942 [[Nash Ambassador]] Slipstream sedan.]]
A parallel movement called [[Streamline Moderne]], or simply Streamline, followed close behind.<ref name="Encarta Online" /> Streamline was influenced by the modern aerodynamic designs emerging from advancing technologies in aviation, ballistics, and other fields requiring high velocity. The attractive shapes resulting from scientifically applied aerodynamic principles were enthusiastically adopted within Art Deco, applying streamlining techniques to other useful objects in everyday life,<ref name="Encarta Online" /> such as the [[automobile]]. Although the [[Chrysler Airflow]] design of 1933 was commercially unsuccessful, it provided the lead for more conservatively designed pseudo-streamlined vehicles. These "streamlined" forms began to be used even for mundane and static objects such as pencil sharpeners and refrigerators.
+
A parallel movement called [[Streamline Moderne]], or simply Streamline, followed close behind. Streamline was influenced by the modern aerodynamic designs emerging from advancing technologies in aviation, ballistics, and other fields requiring high velocity. The attractive shapes resulting from scientifically applied aerodynamic principles were enthusiastically adopted within Art Deco, applying streamlining techniques to other useful objects in everyday life, such as the [[automobile]]. Although the [[Chrysler Airflow]] design of 1933 was commercially unsuccessful, it provided the lead for more conservatively designed pseudo-streamlined vehicles. These "streamlined" forms began to be used even for mundane and static objects such as pencil sharpeners and refrigerators.
  
Art Deco celebrates the Machine Age through explicit use of man-made materials (particularly glass and stainless steel), symmetry,<ref name="Art Deco Jewelry">[http://www.studiosoft.it/AntJewelryDeco.htm Art Deco Jewelry 2007] ''StudioSoft'' accessdate 2008-10-30</ref> repetition, modified by [[Asia]]n influences such as the use of silks and [[Middle East]]ern designs. It was strongly adopted in the United States during the [[Great Depression]] for its practicality and simplicity, while still portraying a reminder of better times and the "[[American Dream]]."
+
Art Deco celebrates the Machine Age through explicit use of man-made materials (particularly glass and stainless steel), symmetry,<ref name="Art Deco Jewelry">[http://studiosoft.it/AntJewelryDeco.htm Art Deco Jewelry (1920-1930)] ''Arlecchino Antique Jewelry''. Retrieved March 5, 2021.</ref> repetition, modified by [[Asia]]n influences such as the use of silks and [[Middle East]]ern designs. It was strongly adopted in the United States during the [[Great Depression]] for its practicality and simplicity, while still portraying a reminder of better times and the "[[American Dream]]."
  
Art Deco made use of many distinctive styles, but one of the most significant of its features was its dependence upon a range of ornaments and [[motif]]s.<ref name="Essential Art Deco">Ghislaine Wood, "Traditional Motifs," in ''Essential Art Deco.'' (London: Victoria and Albert Museum Publications, 2003), 21</ref> The style is said to have reflected the tensions in the cultural politics of its day, with [[eclecticism]] having been one of its defining features.<ref name="Essential Art Deco" /> In the words of [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]], the distinctive style of Art Deco was shaped by "all the nervous energy stored up and expended in the War."<ref name="Essential Art Deco" /><ref name="The Jazz Age">F. Scott Fitzgerald. ''The Jazz Age.'' reprint ed., (New York: New Directions Publishing, 1996. ISBN 0811213331), 3</ref> Art Deco has been influenced in part by movements such as [[Cubism]], Russian [[Constructivism]] and Italian [[Futurism]], which are all evident in Art Deco decorative arts.<ref name="Encyclopedia of Art Deco">Alastair Duncan. ''Encyclopedia of Art Deco.'' (London: Grange Books, 1998)</ref>
+
Art Deco made use of many distinctive styles, but one of the most significant of its features was its dependence upon a range of ornaments and [[motif]]s.<ref name="Essential Art Deco">Ghislaine Wood, "Traditional Motifs," in ''Essential Art Deco'' (London: Victoria and Albert Museum Publications, 2003), 21.</ref> The style is said to have reflected the tensions in the cultural politics of its day, with [[eclecticism]] having been one of its defining features.<ref name="Essential Art Deco" /> In the words of [[F. Scott Fitzgerald]], the distinctive style of Art Deco was shaped by "all the nervous energy stored up and expended in the War."<ref name="The Jazz Age">F. Scott Fitzgerald, ''The Jazz Age'' (New York: New Directions Publishing, 1996, ISBN 0811213331), 3.</ref> Art Deco has been influenced in part by movements such as [[Cubism]], Russian [[Constructivism]] and Italian [[Futurism]], which are all evident in Art Deco decorative arts.<ref name="Encyclopedia of Art Deco"/>
  
 
==Decline and Resurgence==
 
==Decline and Resurgence==
 
Art Deco slowly lost patronage in the West after reaching mass production, when it began to be derided as gaudy and presenting a false image of luxury. Eventually, the style was cut short by the austerities of [[World War II]]. In colonial countries such as [[India]] and the [[Philippines]], it became a gateway for Modernism and continued to be used well into the 1960s. Before their destruction during World War II, [[Manila]] possessed many art-deco buildings; a legacy of the American colonial past. Theaters and office buildings were lost in the war or later demolished and abandoned for new development.
 
Art Deco slowly lost patronage in the West after reaching mass production, when it began to be derided as gaudy and presenting a false image of luxury. Eventually, the style was cut short by the austerities of [[World War II]]. In colonial countries such as [[India]] and the [[Philippines]], it became a gateway for Modernism and continued to be used well into the 1960s. Before their destruction during World War II, [[Manila]] possessed many art-deco buildings; a legacy of the American colonial past. Theaters and office buildings were lost in the war or later demolished and abandoned for new development.
  
A resurgence of interest in Art Deco came with [[graphic design]] in the 1980s, where its association with [[film noir]] and 1930s glamor led to its use in ads for jewelry and fashion.<ref>Pamela Gaunt. [http://www.library.unsw.edu.au/~thesis/adt-NUN/uploads/approved/adt-NUN20060515.093519/public/02whole.pdf ''The Decorative in Twentieth Century Art: A Story of Decline and Resurgence'']. Masters thesis, University of New South Wales, August 2005. Retrieved November 20, 2008.</ref>
+
A resurgence of interest in Art Deco came with [[graphic design]] in the 1980s, where its association with [[film noir]] and 1930s glamor led to its use in ads for jewelry and fashion.<ref>Pamela Gaunt, ''The Decorative in Twentieth Century Art: A Story of Decline and Resurgence'' (VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, 2010, ISBN 978-3639223484).</ref>
  
 
===Memphis Group===
 
===Memphis Group===
 
{{main|Memphis group}}
 
{{main|Memphis group}}
 
{{main|Kitsch}}
 
{{main|Kitsch}}
Art Deco also helped to inspire the [[Memphis Group]], an influential [[Italy|Italian]] [[design]] and [[architecture]] movement of the 1980s. The group was founded by [[Ettore Sottsass]]. The group, which eventually counted among its members Martine Bedin, [[Andrea Branzi]], Aldo Cibic, Michele de Lucchi, Nathalie du Pasquier, [[Michael Graves]], [[Hans Hollein]], [[Arata Isozaki]], Shiro Kuromata, [[Matteo Thun]], [[Javier Mariscal]], [[George Sowden]], Marco Zanini, and the journalist Barbara Radice<ref>[http://www.kunstwissen.de/fach/f-kuns/design/memph0.htm Möbel, Memphis Design]. ''kunstwissen.de''. (in German) </ref>, disbanded in 1988.
+
Art Deco also helped to inspire the [[Memphis Group]], an influential [[Italy|Italian]] [[design]] and [[architecture]] movement of the 1980s. The group was founded by [[Ettore Sottsass]]. The group, which eventually counted among its members Martine Bedin, [[Andrea Branzi]], Aldo Cibic, Michele de Lucchi, Nathalie du Pasquier, [[Michael Graves]], [[Hans Hollein]], [[Arata Isozaki]], Shiro Kuromata, [[Matteo Thun]], [[Javier Mariscal]], [[George Sowden]], Marco Zanini, and the journalist Barbara Radice, disbanded in 1988.
  
 
Named after the [[Bob Dylan]] song ''[[Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again]],'' the movement was a reaction against the post-[[Bauhaus]] "black box" designs of the 1970s and had a sense of humor that was lacking at the time in design. The Memphis Group offered bright, colorful, shocking pieces. The colors they used contrasted the dark blacks and browns of European furniture. In addition to Art Deco, they drew inspiration from [[Pop Art]] as well as the 1950s [[Kitsch]] and futuristic themes. Their concepts were in stark contrast to so called 'Good Design'.
 
Named after the [[Bob Dylan]] song ''[[Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again]],'' the movement was a reaction against the post-[[Bauhaus]] "black box" designs of the 1970s and had a sense of humor that was lacking at the time in design. The Memphis Group offered bright, colorful, shocking pieces. The colors they used contrasted the dark blacks and browns of European furniture. In addition to Art Deco, they drew inspiration from [[Pop Art]] as well as the 1950s [[Kitsch]] and futuristic themes. Their concepts were in stark contrast to so called 'Good Design'.
Line 63: Line 62:
 
{{main|Pop art}}
 
{{main|Pop art}}
  
Art Deco owed much to numerous early twentieth century art movements, including [[Bauhaus]] and [[Futurism]],<ref name="Essential Art Deco" /> while exerting a profound influence on many later artistic movements, such as [[Memphis Group|Memphis]] and [[Pop art]]. Its popularity peaked in Europe during the [[Roaring Twenties]]<ref>[http://www.kanne-kruike.nl/Merkeninfo/Merk12E.html Kanne-Kruike. ''Art Deco'']. Retrieved November 20, 2008.</ref> and continued strongly in the United States through the 1930s.<ref>[http://mac10.umc.pitt.edu/u/FMPro?-db=ustory&-lay=a&-format=d.html&storyid=1754&-Find Peter Hart. "How Art Deco Came To Be." ''University Times,'' 36 (4) (October 9, 2003)]. ''University of Pittsburgh''. Retrieved November 20, 2008.</ref> Although many design movements have political or philosophical roots or intentions, Art Deco was purely decorative.<ref>[http://www.vam.ac.uk/nal/guides/art_deco/index.html Art Deco Study Guide: What is 'Art Deco'?]. ''Victoria and Albert Museum''. accessdate November 20, 2008</ref> At the time, this style was seen as elegant, functional, and modern.
+
Art Deco owed much to numerous early twentieth century art movements, including [[Bauhaus]] and [[Futurism]],<ref name="Essential Art Deco" /> while exerting a profound influence on many later artistic movements, such as [[Memphis Group|Memphis]] and [[Pop art]]. Its popularity peaked in Europe during the [[Roaring Twenties]] and continued strongly in the United States through the 1930s. Although many design movements have political or philosophical roots or intentions, Art Deco was purely decorative. At the time, this style was seen as elegant, functional, and modern.
  
 
===Surviving examples===
 
===Surviving examples===
 +
Some of the finest surviving examples of art-deco art and architecture are found in [[Cuba]], especially in [[Havana]]. The Bacardi Building is the best known of these. The style is expressed in the architecture of residences, businesses, hotels, and many pieces of decorative art, furniture, and utensils in public buildings, as well as in private homes.<ref name=Hillier/>
  
Some of the finest surviving examples of art-deco art and architecture are found in [[Cuba]], especially in [[Havana]]. The Bacardi Building is the best known of these. The style is expressed in the architecture of residences, businesses, hotels, and many pieces of decorative art, furniture, and utensils in public buildings, as well as in private homes.<ref>Bevis Hillier. ''The World of Art Deco.'' (New York: Dutton, 1971. ISBN 9780525482383).</ref>
+
Another country with many examples of rich art-deco architecture is [[Brazil]], specially in Goiânia and cities like Cipó (Bahia), Iraí (Rio Grande do Sul) and [[Rio de Janeiro]], especially in Copacabana. Also in the Brazilian Northeast—notably in countryside cities, such as Campina Grande in Paraiba State—there is a noticeable group of Art Deco buildings, which has been called “Sertanejo Art Deco” because of its peculiar architectural features.<ref>José Marconi B. de Souza, and Lia Monica, [https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jose-B-De-Souza/publication/269234130_Sertanejo_Art_Deco_an_inspiration_for_a_Brazilian_design/links/5889ededaca272f628d4cdc7/Sertanejo-Art-Deco-an-inspiration-for-a-Brazilian-design.pdf Sertanejo Art Deco: an inspiration for a Brazilian design?] 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2021.</ref> The art deco style is widespread in Brazil due to its coincidence with the fast growth and radical economic changes of the country during 1930-1940.
 
 
Another country with many examples of rich art-deco architecture is [[Brazil]], specially in Goiânia and cities like Cipó (Bahia), Iraí (Rio Grande do Sul) and [[Rio de Janeiro]], especially in Copacabana. Also in the Brazilian Northeast—notably in countryside cities, such as Campina Grande in Paraiba State—there is a noticeable group of Art Deco buildings, which has been called “Sertanejo Art Deco” because of its peculiar architectural features.<ref>[http://www.art-deco-sertanejo.com/english/ Art Deco Sertanejo] Retrieved November 20, 2008.</ref> The art deco style is widespread in Brazil due to its coincidence with the fast growth and radical economic changes of the country during 1930-1940.
 
  
[[South Beach]] in [[Miami Beach, Florida]] has the largest collection of Art Deco architecture remaining in North America.<ref>[http://www.southbeachhotels.com/history-of-south-beach-miami.php South Beach Information, 2008]. ''southbeachhotels.com''. accessdate 2008-10-30</ref> Much of the Art Deco heritage of [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]] remains from that city's oil boom days.<ref>[http://www.tulsapreservationcommission.org/artdeco/ Tulsa Preservation Commission. ''Tulsa's Art Deco Heritage''] Retrieved November 20, 2008.</ref>
+
[[South Beach]] in [[Miami Beach, Florida]] has the largest collection of Art Deco architecture remaining in North America. Much of the Art Deco heritage of [[Tulsa, Oklahoma]] remains from that city's oil boom days.<ref>[https://tulsapreservationcommission.org/tulsa-art-deco/ Tulsa Art Deco] ''Tulsa Preservation Commission''Retrieved March 5, 2021.</ref>
  
 
===Art Deco in 1930s house design in the UK===
 
===Art Deco in 1930s house design in the UK===
 
+
Dwelling-house design during the 1930s in the UK was also very much influenced by Art Deco. Straight, white-rendered house frontages rising to flat roofs, sharply geometric door surrounds, Egyptian motifs, tall windows as well as convex curved metal corner windows or even round bull's-eye windows (reminiscent of ocean-liner design), all were characteristic of that period<ref>[https://www.london-footprints.co.uk/artdecobldgs.htm Art Deco Buildings: London examples] ''London Footprints''. Retrieved March 5, 2021.</ref> However, during double-glazing transformations in the late twentieth century, many of the original art deco window features were lost and replaced by less distinctive styles.
Dwelling-house design during the 1930s in the UK was also very much influenced by Art Deco. Straight, white-rendered house frontages rising to flat roofs, sharply geometric door surrounds, Egyptian motifs, tall windows as well as convex curved metal corner windows or even round bull's-eye windows (reminiscent of ocean-liner design), all were characteristic of that period<ref>[http://www.london-footprints.co.uk/artdecobldgs.htm UK Art Deco Houses] Retrieved November 20, 2008.</ref><ref>[http://www.art-deco-classics.co.uk/frinton_artdeco.php UK Art Deco Houses] Retrieved November 20, 2008.</ref> However, during double-glazing transformations in the late twentieth century, many of the original art deco window features were lost and replaced by less distinctive styles.
 
  
 
The 1930s was the period during which most building of homes specifically for sale took place in the UK. Despite loss of some classic art-deco features from remodeling in subsequent decades, the large number of houses remaining from the period ensures that many fine examples of art-deco housing can still be viewed.
 
The 1930s was the period during which most building of homes specifically for sale took place in the UK. Despite loss of some classic art-deco features from remodeling in subsequent decades, the large number of houses remaining from the period ensures that many fine examples of art-deco housing can still be viewed.
Line 81: Line 78:
 
Of particular note in the typical '1930s semi' are sunrise-symbol-motif doors, garden gates and garages as well as the infamous 'suntrap' window (featuring a distinct one-sided curve) and the linear form of the famous ''critall'' window. There are features such as monochrome wall and floor tiling and [[bakelite]] door-knobs in simple geometric designs, sometimes with deco-flourished fingerplates or [[escutcheon (furniture)|escutcheons]].
 
Of particular note in the typical '1930s semi' are sunrise-symbol-motif doors, garden gates and garages as well as the infamous 'suntrap' window (featuring a distinct one-sided curve) and the linear form of the famous ''critall'' window. There are features such as monochrome wall and floor tiling and [[bakelite]] door-knobs in simple geometric designs, sometimes with deco-flourished fingerplates or [[escutcheon (furniture)|escutcheons]].
  
Fine examples of luxurious art-deco homes are now vested in organizations such as [[English Heritage]] and [[The National Trust]] in the UK. Both organizations seek to maintain and restore historic homes and facilitate paid public access. A particularly beautiful example is [[Eltham Palace]]<ref>[http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.12744 Eltham Palace].''english-heritage.org''. Retrieved December 28, 2008.</ref>, built in 1936 by Stephen and Virginia Courtauld, close to the ruins of [[Henry VIII]]'s boyhood home in [[London]]. It features a large circular reception room with a glass roof, beautifully impressive bathroom, bedrooms and dining rooms and all of the original furnishings and features, including a house-wide radio system and an arterial vacuum-cleaning system.
+
Fine examples of luxurious art-deco homes are now vested in organizations such as [[English Heritage]] and [[The National Trust]] in the UK. Both organizations seek to maintain and restore historic homes and facilitate paid public access. A particularly beautiful example is [[Eltham Palace]]<ref>[https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/eltham-palace-and-gardens/ Eltham Palace and Gardens] ''English Heritage''. Retrieved March 5, 2021.</ref>, built in 1936 by Stephen and Virginia Courtauld, close to the ruins of [[Henry VIII]]'s boyhood home in [[London]]. It features a large circular reception room with a glass roof, beautifully impressive bathroom, bedrooms and dining rooms and all of the original furnishings and features, including a house-wide radio system and an arterial vacuum-cleaning system.
  
 
==Gallery==
 
==Gallery==
Line 91: Line 88:
 
Image:Germany 346.jpg|Germany 1925, "[[Traffic circle|Traffic wheel]]"
 
Image:Germany 346.jpg|Germany 1925, "[[Traffic circle|Traffic wheel]]"
 
Image:PRR S1.jpg|The [[PRR S1]] on display at the 1939 World's Fair. This engine ran continuously at 60 MPH (on a dynamometer) while the Fair was open.
 
Image:PRR S1.jpg|The [[PRR S1]] on display at the 1939 World's Fair. This engine ran continuously at 60 MPH (on a dynamometer) while the Fair was open.
Image:New Yorker McDonough.jpg|The New Yorker Hotel, 481 Eighth Avenue, [[New York City]], 1930
 
 
Image:Guardianinterior.jpg|''Cathedral of Finance'', 500 [[Griswold Street]], [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]
 
Image:Guardianinterior.jpg|''Cathedral of Finance'', 500 [[Griswold Street]], [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]
Image:Town Hall - Coronel Pringles.jpg|Art Deco Town Hall - Coronel Pringles in Argentina by Francisco Salomone
 
 
Image:RMS Queen Mary Grand Salon edit.jpg|The First Class dining room on the ''Queen Mary'', also known as the Grand Salon.
 
Image:RMS Queen Mary Grand Salon edit.jpg|The First Class dining room on the ''Queen Mary'', also known as the Grand Salon.
 
Image:Fauteuil carré.jpg|Art Deco Furniture
 
Image:Fauteuil carré.jpg|Art Deco Furniture
Line 103: Line 98:
  
 
</gallery>
 
</gallery>
 
==See also==
 
{{See also|Category:Art Deco buildings in London}}
 
*1933 Chicago World's Fair [[Century of Progress]]
 
*[[1939 New York World's Fair]]
 
*[[Art Deco stamps]]
 
*[[Aleksandra Ekster]]
 
*[[Corrado Parducci]]
 
*[[Durban Art Deco]]
 
*[[Fisher Building]]
 
*[[Francisco Salamone]]
 
*[[Guardian Building]]
 
*[[International style (architecture)|International style]]
 
*[[List of Art Deco architecture]]
 
*[[Napier, New Zealand]]
 
*[[Oliver Percy Bernard]]
 
*[[Streamline Moderne]]
 
*[[Vadim Meller]]
 
*[[Waylande Gregory]]
 
*[[Wirt C. Rowland]]
 
*[[RMS Queen Mary]]
 
  
 
==Notes==
 
==Notes==
Line 129: Line 103:
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
*Applegate, Judith. Intro. by Elayne H. Varian, ''Art Deco.'' New York: Finch College Museum Of Art/Cranbrook Academy of Art, 1970. {{OCLC| 140990}}
+
*Applegate, Judith. ''Art Deco.'' New York: Finch College Museum Of Art/Cranbrook Academy of Art, 1970. {{OCLC| 140990}}
*Bayer, Patricia, ''Art Deco Architecture Design, Decoration and Detail from the Twenties and Thirties.'' London: Thames & Hudson, 1999. ISBN 0500281491.
+
*Bayer, Patricia. ''Art Deco Architecture Design, Decoration and Detail from the Twenties and Thirties.'' London: Thames & Hudson, 1999. ISBN 0500281491.
 
*Benton, Charlotte, Tim Benton, and Ghislaine Wood, with Oriana Baddeley, Collaborator. ''Art Deco: 1910-1939.'' Boston: Little Brown & Co., 2003. ISBN 9780821228340.
 
*Benton, Charlotte, Tim Benton, and Ghislaine Wood, with Oriana Baddeley, Collaborator. ''Art Deco: 1910-1939.'' Boston: Little Brown & Co., 2003. ISBN 9780821228340.
 
*Breeze, Carla. ''American Art Deco: Modernistic Architecture and Regionalism.'' New York: WW Norton & Co., 2003. ISBN 0500281491.
 
*Breeze, Carla. ''American Art Deco: Modernistic Architecture and Regionalism.'' New York: WW Norton & Co., 2003. ISBN 0500281491.
*Duncan, Alastair, ed. ''Encyclopedia of Art Deco: A Visual Guide to the Influential Design Movement.'' (original 1988) London: Grange Books, 2005. ISBN 1840138238.  
+
*Duncan, Alastair (ed.). ''Encyclopedia of Art Deco: A Visual Guide to the Influential Design Movement.'' (original 1988) London: Grange Books, 2005. ISBN 1840138238.  
 +
* Duncan, Alastair. ''Art Deco Complete''. Harry N. Abrams, 2009. ISBN 978-0810980464
 
*Fischer, Lucy. ''Designing Women: Cinema, Art Deco and the Female Form.'' New York: Columbia University Press, 2003.   
 
*Fischer, Lucy. ''Designing Women: Cinema, Art Deco and the Female Form.'' New York: Columbia University Press, 2003.   
 
*Gallagher, Fiona. ''Christie's Art Deco.'' Watson Guptill Publications, 2002. ISBN 1862055092.
 
*Gallagher, Fiona. ''Christie's Art Deco.'' Watson Guptill Publications, 2002. ISBN 1862055092.
*Gaunt, Pamela. [http://www.library.unsw.edu.au/~thesis/adt-NUN/uploads/approved/adt-NUN20060515.093519/public/02whole.pdf ''The Decorative in Twentieth Century Art: A Story of Decline and Resurgence'']. Masters thesis, University of New South Wales, August 2005. Retrieved November 20, 2008.
+
*Gaunt, Pamela. ''The Decorative in Twentieth Century Art: A Story of Decline and Resurgence''. VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, 2010. ISBN 978-3639223484
 
*Hillier, Bevis. ''Art Deco of the 20s and 30s.'' Studio Vista/Dutton, 1968. ISBN 0289277884.   
 
*Hillier, Bevis. ''Art Deco of the 20s and 30s.'' Studio Vista/Dutton, 1968. ISBN 0289277884.   
 
*Hillier, Bevis. ''The World of Art Deco.'' New York, E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1971. ISBN 9780525482383.
 
*Hillier, Bevis. ''The World of Art Deco.'' New York, E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1971. ISBN 9780525482383.
*Johnson, Carla. ''Union Pacific and Omaha Union Station.'' J. & L. Lee Company, 2000.  
+
*Johnson, Carla. ''Union Pacific and Omaha Union Station.'' J. & L. Lee Company, 2000. 978-0934904445
ISBN 0934904448
 
 
*Menten, Theodore. ''The Art Deco Style in Household Objects, Architecture, Sculpture, Graphics, Jewelry.'' New York: Courier Dover, 1972. ISBN 048622824X
 
*Menten, Theodore. ''The Art Deco Style in Household Objects, Architecture, Sculpture, Graphics, Jewelry.'' New York: Courier Dover, 1972. ISBN 048622824X
*Ray, Gordon N., and G. Thomas; Tansell, Ed., ''The Art Deco Book In France.'' The Bibliographical Society of The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, 2005. ISBN 1883631122.
+
*Ray, Gordon N. ''The Art Deco Book In France.'' The Bibliographical Society of The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, 2005. ISBN 1883631122.
 
*Savage, Rebecca Binno, and Greg Kowalski. ''Art Deco in Detroit (Images of America).'' Arcadia, 2004. ISBN 0738532282.
 
*Savage, Rebecca Binno, and Greg Kowalski. ''Art Deco in Detroit (Images of America).'' Arcadia, 2004. ISBN 0738532282.
*Schwartzman, Arnold. ''Deco LAndmarks: Art Deco Gems of Los Angeles.'' Chronicle Books, 1995. ISBN 0811846016. with Foreword by Bevis Hillier. 
+
*Schwartzman, Arnold. ''Deco LAndmarks: Art Deco Gems of Los Angeles.'' Chronicle Books, 1995. ISBN 0811846016.  
 
*Unes, Wolney. ''Identidade Art Deco de Goiânia.'' Ateliê, 2003. ISBN 8574800902.
 
*Unes, Wolney. ''Identidade Art Deco de Goiânia.'' Ateliê, 2003. ISBN 8574800902.
 
*Wood, Ghislaine. "Traditional Motifs", ''Essential Art Deco.'' London: Bulfinch, 2003. ISBN 0821228331. (Victoria and Albert Museum Publications, 21.) (Co-curator of the exhibition Art Deco 1910-1939)
 
*Wood, Ghislaine. "Traditional Motifs", ''Essential Art Deco.'' London: Bulfinch, 2003. ISBN 0821228331. (Victoria and Albert Museum Publications, 21.) (Co-curator of the exhibition Art Deco 1910-1939)
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==
All links Retrieved November 18, 2008.
+
All links retrieved August 15, 2023.  
{{Commonscat|Art Deco}}
+
 
*[http://www.art-deco-sertanejo.com/ Art Deco Brazilian Northeast]
+
*[http://artdecomontreal.com/ Art Deco Montreal]
*[http://www.geocities.com/barrybyrne.geo/deco1.htm Art Deco Ireland]
+
*[https://www.artdeco.org.au/ Art Deco Society, Victoria, Australia]
*[http://www.artdecomontreal.com Art Deco Montreal]
 
*[http://www.artdecosydney.com/ Art Deco Sydney, Australia]
 
*[http://www.artdeco.org.au/ Art Deco Society, Victoria, Australia]
 
*[http://www.artdecowa.org.au/ Art Deco Society of Western Australia]
 
 
*[http://www.adsw.org/ Art Deco Society of Washington]
 
*[http://www.adsw.org/ Art Deco Society of Washington]
*[http://www.artdecosociety.org/ Art Deco Society of California]
+
*[https://www.artdecosocietyofcalifornia.org/ Art Deco Society of California]
*[http://sephsgallery.fotopic.net/ Art Deco UK]
+
*[https://www.artdeconapier.com/ Napier, New Zealand Art Deco Trust]
*[http://etext.virginia.edu/bsuva/artdeco/ Illustrations: The Art Deco Book in France]
+
 
*[http://users.iafrica.com/a/an/andryn/ Durban Deco Directory: South Africa]
 
*[http://www.mdpl.org/Art%20Deco/images.html Miami Beach Art Deco District]
 
*[http://www.artdeconapier.com/ Napier, New Zealand Art Deco Trust]
 
*[http://www.capitol.org/index.html Nebraska State Capitol site]
 
*[http://tulsapreservationcommission.org/artdeco Tulsa, Oklahoma Art Deco Heritage]
 
*[http://www.vam.ac.uk/vastatic/microsites/1157_art_deco/ Victoria and Albert Museum Art Deco]
 
*[http://www.vam.ac.uk/nal/guides/art_deco/index.html Art Deco Study Guide: What is 'Art Deco'?]. ''Victoria and Albert Museum''. accessdate November 20, 2008 inludes extensive bibliography of related sources.
 
  
 
{{Westernart}}
 
{{Westernart}}

Latest revision as of 04:01, 15 August 2023


The art-deco spire of the Chrysler Building in New York, built 1928–1930.

Art Deco was a popular international design movement from 1925 until 1939, affecting the decorative arts such as architecture, interior design, and industrial design, as well as the visual arts including fashion, painting, the graphic arts, and film. This movement was an amalgam of many different styles and movements of the early twentieth century, including Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, Bauhaus, Art Nouveau, and Futurism.

Art Deco experienced a decline in popularity during the late 1930s and early 1940s, and soon fell out of public favor. The time frame was roughly from the World's Fair in Paris in 1925 to the World's Fair in New York in 1939. Afterward, Art Deco experienced a resurgence with the advent of graphic design in the 1980s. Surviving examples may still be seen in many different locations worldwide, in countries as diverse as the United Kingdom, Cuba, the Phillipines, and Brazil. Many classic examples still exist in the form of architecture in many major cities. The Chrysler building, designed by William Van Alen, is a classic example of this, as it is one of the most notable examples of Art Deco architecture today. Other prominent examples include the Empire State Building and the New Yorker Hotel in New York City.

While most of the modern art movements were grounded in ideology, Art Deco was a celebration of modern life and style, seeking elegance over philosophical content.

History

City Hall of Buffalo, New York, an art-deco building.

After the Universal Exposition of 1900, various French artists formed an informal collective known as, La Société des artistes décorateurs (the society of the decorator artists). Founders included Hector Guimard, Eugène Grasset, Raoul Lachenal, Paul Follot, Maurice Dufrene, and Emile Decour. These artists heavily influenced the principles of Art Deco as a whole. This society's purpose was to demonstrate French decorative art's leading position and evolution internationally. They organized the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Art) in Paris, which would feature French art and business interests.[1] The terms Style Moderne and Art Deco both derive from the exposition's title, though Art Deco was not widely used until popularized by art historian Bevis Hillier's 1968 book Art Deco of the 20s and 30s.[2]

In the summer of 1969, Hillier conceived organizing an exhibition called Art Deco at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, which took place from July to September 1971. After this event, interest in Art Deco peaked with the publication of his 1971 book The World of Art Deco, a record of the exhibition.[3]

Sources

The structure of Art Deco is based on mathematical geometric shapes. It was widely considered to be an eclectic form of elegant and stylish modernism which derived from a variety of sources. Among them were the so-called "primitive" arts of Africa, Ancient Egypt, and Aztec Mexico, as well as machine-age or streamline technology such as modern aviation, electric lighting, the radio, the ocean liner and the skyscraper. It is in Streamline Moderne styles that this technology fully manifests itself and, although it is not antithetical to Art Deco, it is now considered to be a separate architectural style.[4]

Terra cotta sunburst design in gold behind sky blue and deep blue above the front doors of the Eastern Columbia Building in Los Angeles

Art Deco design influences were expressed in fractionated, crystalline, faceted forms of decorative Cubism and Futurism, in Fauvism's palette.[5] Other popular themes in Art Deco were trapezoidal, zigzagged, geometric, and jumbled shapes, which can be seen in many early pieces. Two great examples of these themes and styles are in Detroit, Michigan: the Fisher Building and the Guardian Building.[6]

Corresponding to these influences, Art Deco is characterized by use of materials such as aluminum, stainless steel, lacquer, inlaid wood, sharkskin (shagreen), and zebraskin. The bold use of stepped forms and sweeping curves (unlike the sinuous, natural curves of the Art Nouveau), chevron patterns, and the sunburst motif are typical of Art Deco. Some of these motifs were ubiquitous–for example, sunburst motifs were used in such varied contexts as ladies' shoes, radiator grilles, the auditorium of the Radio City Music Hall, and the spire of the Chrysler Building.

Attributes

Architecture and Interior Design

Art Deco was an opulent style, and its lavishness is attributed to reaction to the forced austerity imposed by World War I. Its rich, festive character fitted it for "modern" contexts, including the Golden Gate Bridge, interiors of cinema theaters (such as the Paramount Theater in Oakland, California) and ocean liners such as the Île de France, the Queen Mary, and Normandie. Art Deco was employed extensively throughout America's train stations in the 1930s, designed to reflect the modernity and efficiency of the train. The first art-deco train station in the United States was the Union Station in Omaha, Nebraska.[7] The unveiling of streamlined trains paralleled the construction of the art deco stations.

1925 World's Fair

The term "Art Deco" comes from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts), the World's fair held in Paris, France from April to October 1925. It was derived by shortening the words "Arts Décoratifs" in the title of the exposition.[8] Artistic creation in the années folles in France is marked by this event, when on this occasion many ideas of the international avant-garde in the fields of architecture and applied arts were brought together. This major event of the 1920s was located between the esplanade of Les Invalides and the entrances of the Grand Palais and Petit Palais. It received 4000 guests at the inauguration on April 28, and thousands of visitors each of the following days.

This exhibition generated the term Art Deco to describe designs in terms of a broad decoratively "modern" style, characterized by a streamlined classicism and facetted, crystalline structures, embellished with decorative references to sleek machinery, and recurrent motifs of stylized fountains,[9] gazelles,[10] lightning flashes, "Aztec" motifs and similar repertory, derived in part from Decorative Cubism.

The central body of exhibits seemed to present the fashionable products of the luxury market, a signal that, after the disasters of World War I, Paris still reigned supreme in the arts of design.

Art Deco left its impact in a variety of different media, including furniture, jewelry, painting and sculpture, even poster art and postage stamps.

Streamline Moderne

1934 Chrysler Airflow sedan
1942 Nash Ambassador Slipstream sedan.

A parallel movement called Streamline Moderne, or simply Streamline, followed close behind. Streamline was influenced by the modern aerodynamic designs emerging from advancing technologies in aviation, ballistics, and other fields requiring high velocity. The attractive shapes resulting from scientifically applied aerodynamic principles were enthusiastically adopted within Art Deco, applying streamlining techniques to other useful objects in everyday life, such as the automobile. Although the Chrysler Airflow design of 1933 was commercially unsuccessful, it provided the lead for more conservatively designed pseudo-streamlined vehicles. These "streamlined" forms began to be used even for mundane and static objects such as pencil sharpeners and refrigerators.

Art Deco celebrates the Machine Age through explicit use of man-made materials (particularly glass and stainless steel), symmetry,[11] repetition, modified by Asian influences such as the use of silks and Middle Eastern designs. It was strongly adopted in the United States during the Great Depression for its practicality and simplicity, while still portraying a reminder of better times and the "American Dream."

Art Deco made use of many distinctive styles, but one of the most significant of its features was its dependence upon a range of ornaments and motifs.[12] The style is said to have reflected the tensions in the cultural politics of its day, with eclecticism having been one of its defining features.[12] In the words of F. Scott Fitzgerald, the distinctive style of Art Deco was shaped by "all the nervous energy stored up and expended in the War."[13] Art Deco has been influenced in part by movements such as Cubism, Russian Constructivism and Italian Futurism, which are all evident in Art Deco decorative arts.[1]

Decline and Resurgence

Art Deco slowly lost patronage in the West after reaching mass production, when it began to be derided as gaudy and presenting a false image of luxury. Eventually, the style was cut short by the austerities of World War II. In colonial countries such as India and the Philippines, it became a gateway for Modernism and continued to be used well into the 1960s. Before their destruction during World War II, Manila possessed many art-deco buildings; a legacy of the American colonial past. Theaters and office buildings were lost in the war or later demolished and abandoned for new development.

A resurgence of interest in Art Deco came with graphic design in the 1980s, where its association with film noir and 1930s glamor led to its use in ads for jewelry and fashion.[14]

Memphis Group

Art Deco also helped to inspire the Memphis Group, an influential Italian design and architecture movement of the 1980s. The group was founded by Ettore Sottsass. The group, which eventually counted among its members Martine Bedin, Andrea Branzi, Aldo Cibic, Michele de Lucchi, Nathalie du Pasquier, Michael Graves, Hans Hollein, Arata Isozaki, Shiro Kuromata, Matteo Thun, Javier Mariscal, George Sowden, Marco Zanini, and the journalist Barbara Radice, disbanded in 1988.

Named after the Bob Dylan song Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again, the movement was a reaction against the post-Bauhaus "black box" designs of the 1970s and had a sense of humor that was lacking at the time in design. The Memphis Group offered bright, colorful, shocking pieces. The colors they used contrasted the dark blacks and browns of European furniture. In addition to Art Deco, they drew inspiration from Pop Art as well as the 1950s Kitsch and futuristic themes. Their concepts were in stark contrast to so called 'Good Design'.

Legacy

Art Deco owed much to numerous early twentieth century art movements, including Bauhaus and Futurism,[12] while exerting a profound influence on many later artistic movements, such as Memphis and Pop art. Its popularity peaked in Europe during the Roaring Twenties and continued strongly in the United States through the 1930s. Although many design movements have political or philosophical roots or intentions, Art Deco was purely decorative. At the time, this style was seen as elegant, functional, and modern.

Surviving examples

Some of the finest surviving examples of art-deco art and architecture are found in Cuba, especially in Havana. The Bacardi Building is the best known of these. The style is expressed in the architecture of residences, businesses, hotels, and many pieces of decorative art, furniture, and utensils in public buildings, as well as in private homes.[3]

Another country with many examples of rich art-deco architecture is Brazil, specially in Goiânia and cities like Cipó (Bahia), Iraí (Rio Grande do Sul) and Rio de Janeiro, especially in Copacabana. Also in the Brazilian Northeast—notably in countryside cities, such as Campina Grande in Paraiba State—there is a noticeable group of Art Deco buildings, which has been called “Sertanejo Art Deco” because of its peculiar architectural features.[15] The art deco style is widespread in Brazil due to its coincidence with the fast growth and radical economic changes of the country during 1930-1940.

South Beach in Miami Beach, Florida has the largest collection of Art Deco architecture remaining in North America. Much of the Art Deco heritage of Tulsa, Oklahoma remains from that city's oil boom days.[16]

Art Deco in 1930s house design in the UK

Dwelling-house design during the 1930s in the UK was also very much influenced by Art Deco. Straight, white-rendered house frontages rising to flat roofs, sharply geometric door surrounds, Egyptian motifs, tall windows as well as convex curved metal corner windows or even round bull's-eye windows (reminiscent of ocean-liner design), all were characteristic of that period[17] However, during double-glazing transformations in the late twentieth century, many of the original art deco window features were lost and replaced by less distinctive styles.

The 1930s was the period during which most building of homes specifically for sale took place in the UK. Despite loss of some classic art-deco features from remodeling in subsequent decades, the large number of houses remaining from the period ensures that many fine examples of art-deco housing can still be viewed.

Of particular note in the typical '1930s semi' are sunrise-symbol-motif doors, garden gates and garages as well as the infamous 'suntrap' window (featuring a distinct one-sided curve) and the linear form of the famous critall window. There are features such as monochrome wall and floor tiling and bakelite door-knobs in simple geometric designs, sometimes with deco-flourished fingerplates or escutcheons.

Fine examples of luxurious art-deco homes are now vested in organizations such as English Heritage and The National Trust in the UK. Both organizations seek to maintain and restore historic homes and facilitate paid public access. A particularly beautiful example is Eltham Palace[18], built in 1936 by Stephen and Virginia Courtauld, close to the ruins of Henry VIII's boyhood home in London. It features a large circular reception room with a glass roof, beautifully impressive bathroom, bedrooms and dining rooms and all of the original furnishings and features, including a house-wide radio system and an arterial vacuum-cleaning system.

Gallery

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Alastair Duncan, (ed.), The Encyclopedia of Art Deco: A Visual Guide to the Influential Design Movement (original 1988) (London: Grange Books, 2005, ISBN 1840138238).
  2. Bevis Hillier, Art Deco of the 20s and 30s (Studio Vista/Dutton picturebacks, 1968, ISBN 978-0289277881).
  3. 3.0 3.1 Bevis Hillier, The World of Art Deco (New York: E.P. Dutton & Co Inc, 1971, ISBN 9780525482383).
  4. Alastair Duncan, Art Deco Complete (Harry N. Abrams, 2009, ISBN 978-0810980464).
  5. Charlotte Jirousek, Art, Design, and Visual Thinking - Art Deco Cornell University, 1995. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  6. Rebecca Binno Savage and Greg Kowalski, Art Deco in Detroit (Images of America) (Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Press, 2004, ISBN 0738532282).
  7. Carla Johnson, Union Pacific and Omaha Union Station (J & L Lee Co., 2000, 978-0934904445).
  8. Theodore Menten, The Art Deco Style in Household Objects, Architecture, Sculpture, Graphics, Jewelry (Courier Dover, 1972, ISBN 048622824X).
  9. René Lalique's crystal tower fountain was a prominent set-piece of the Exposition.
  10. The Exposition poster, by Robert Bonfils, imitating the look of a woodblock print, featured a modern athletic nymph and a racing gazelle.
  11. Art Deco Jewelry (1920-1930) Arlecchino Antique Jewelry. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 Ghislaine Wood, "Traditional Motifs," in Essential Art Deco (London: Victoria and Albert Museum Publications, 2003), 21.
  13. F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Jazz Age (New York: New Directions Publishing, 1996, ISBN 0811213331), 3.
  14. Pamela Gaunt, The Decorative in Twentieth Century Art: A Story of Decline and Resurgence (VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, 2010, ISBN 978-3639223484).
  15. José Marconi B. de Souza, and Lia Monica, Sertanejo Art Deco: an inspiration for a Brazilian design? 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  16. Tulsa Art Deco Tulsa Preservation Commission. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  17. Art Deco Buildings: London examples London Footprints. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
  18. Eltham Palace and Gardens English Heritage. Retrieved March 5, 2021.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Applegate, Judith. Art Deco. New York: Finch College Museum Of Art/Cranbrook Academy of Art, 1970. OCLC 140990
  • Bayer, Patricia. Art Deco Architecture Design, Decoration and Detail from the Twenties and Thirties. London: Thames & Hudson, 1999. ISBN 0500281491.
  • Benton, Charlotte, Tim Benton, and Ghislaine Wood, with Oriana Baddeley, Collaborator. Art Deco: 1910-1939. Boston: Little Brown & Co., 2003. ISBN 9780821228340.
  • Breeze, Carla. American Art Deco: Modernistic Architecture and Regionalism. New York: WW Norton & Co., 2003. ISBN 0500281491.
  • Duncan, Alastair (ed.). Encyclopedia of Art Deco: A Visual Guide to the Influential Design Movement. (original 1988) London: Grange Books, 2005. ISBN 1840138238.
  • Duncan, Alastair. Art Deco Complete. Harry N. Abrams, 2009. ISBN 978-0810980464
  • Fischer, Lucy. Designing Women: Cinema, Art Deco and the Female Form. New York: Columbia University Press, 2003.
  • Gallagher, Fiona. Christie's Art Deco. Watson Guptill Publications, 2002. ISBN 1862055092.
  • Gaunt, Pamela. The Decorative in Twentieth Century Art: A Story of Decline and Resurgence. VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, 2010. ISBN 978-3639223484
  • Hillier, Bevis. Art Deco of the 20s and 30s. Studio Vista/Dutton, 1968. ISBN 0289277884.
  • Hillier, Bevis. The World of Art Deco. New York, E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1971. ISBN 9780525482383.
  • Johnson, Carla. Union Pacific and Omaha Union Station. J. & L. Lee Company, 2000. 978-0934904445
  • Menten, Theodore. The Art Deco Style in Household Objects, Architecture, Sculpture, Graphics, Jewelry. New York: Courier Dover, 1972. ISBN 048622824X
  • Ray, Gordon N. The Art Deco Book In France. The Bibliographical Society of The University of Virginia, Charlottesville, 2005. ISBN 1883631122.
  • Savage, Rebecca Binno, and Greg Kowalski. Art Deco in Detroit (Images of America). Arcadia, 2004. ISBN 0738532282.
  • Schwartzman, Arnold. Deco LAndmarks: Art Deco Gems of Los Angeles. Chronicle Books, 1995. ISBN 0811846016.
  • Unes, Wolney. Identidade Art Deco de Goiânia. Ateliê, 2003. ISBN 8574800902.
  • Wood, Ghislaine. "Traditional Motifs", Essential Art Deco. London: Bulfinch, 2003. ISBN 0821228331. (Victoria and Albert Museum Publications, 21.) (Co-curator of the exhibition Art Deco 1910-1939)

External links

All links retrieved August 15, 2023.


Western art movements
Renaissance · Mannerism · Baroque · Rococo · Neoclassicism · Romanticism · Realism · Pre-Raphaelite · Academic · Impressionism · Post-Impressionism
20th century
Modernism · Cubism · Expressionism · Abstract expressionism · Abstract · Neue Künstlervereinigung München · Der Blaue Reiter · Die Brücke · Dada · Fauvism · Art Nouveau · Bauhaus · De Stijl · Art Deco · Pop art · Futurism · Suprematism · Surrealism · Minimalism · Post-Modernism · Conceptual art

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.