Art Deco

Art Deco was a popular international art design movement from 1925 until the 1940s, 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. At the time, this style was seen as elegant, glamorous, functional, and modern.

The movement was a mixture of many different styles and movements of the early 20th century, including Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, Art Nouveau, and Futurism.^[1] Its popularity peaked in Europe during the Roaring Twenties^[2] and continued strongly in the United States through the 1930s.^[3] Although many design movements have political or philosophical roots or intentions, Art Deco was purely decorative.^[4]

Art Deco experienced a decline in popularity during the late 30s and early 40s, and soon fell out of public favor. It experienced a resurgence with the popularization of graphic design in the 1980s. Art Deco had a profound influence on many later artistic movements, such as Memphis and Pop art.

Surviving examples may still be seen in many different locations worldwide, in countries as diverse as the United Kingdom, Spain, Cuba, Indonesia, the Philippines, Romania, New Zealand, India and Brazil. Many classic examples still exist in the form of architecture in many major cities. The Empire State Building and The Chrysler Building, both in New York City, are two of the largest and best-known examples of the style.

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).^[5] Founders included Hector Guimard, Eugène Grasset, Raoul Lachenal, Paul Follot, Maurice Dufrêne, and Emile Decour. These artists heavily influenced the principles of Art Deco as a whole.^[6] 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,^[7] which would feature French art and business interests.^[8][6] The terms Style Moderne and Art Deco both derive from the exposition's title,^[3] though Art Deco was not widely used until popularized by art historian Bevis Hillier's 1968 book Art Deco of the 20s and 30s.^[9]

In the summer of 1969, Hillier conceived organizing an exhibition called Art Deco at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts,^[10] 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.^[11]

The structure of Art Deco is based on mathematical geometric shapes.^[12] It was widely considered to be an eclectic form of elegant and stylish modernism, being influenced by a variety of sources. Among them were the so-called "primitive" arts of Africa, Ancient Egypt,^[12][13] and Aztec Mexico.^[1] It also drew on Machine Age or streamline technology,^[14] such as modern aviation, electric lighting, the radio, the ocean liner and the skyscraper for inspiration.^[1] It is in streamline modern 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.^[15]

Art Deco design influences were expressed in the crystalline and faceted forms of decorative Cubism and Futurism.^[16][16] Other popular themes in Art Deco were trapezoidal, zigzagged, geometric, and jumbled shapes,^[13][17] 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.^[18]

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 (a prime example being 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 the United States' train stations in the 1930s,^[19] designed to reflect the modernity and efficiency of the train. 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.^[1] 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.^[1][13] In the words of Scott Fitzgerald, the distinctive style of Art Deco was shaped by 'all the nervous energy stored up and expended in the War'.^[1][20] Art Deco has been influenced in part by movements such as Cubism, Russian Constructivism and Italian Futurism,^[13] which 'are all evident in Art Deco decorative arts'.^[6]

Materials and design

Art Deco is characterized by use of materials such as aluminium, stainless steel, lacquer and inlaid wood.^[12][7][13] Exotic materials such as sharkskin (shagreen), and zebraskin were also in evidence.^{[7][13][21][17]} The bold use of stepped forms and sweeping curves (unlike the sinuous, natural curves of the Art Nouveau),^[22][12] 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.

Streamline Moderne

A parallel movement called Streamline Moderne, or simply Streamline, followed close behind. Streamline was influenced by the modern aerodynamic designs,^[12] including those 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 beauty of the functional design, not tacked on ornamentation, of the Chrysler Airflow design of 1933 was commercially unsuccessful,^[23] it provided the lead for more conservatively designed pseudo-streamlined vehicles.

Streamlining quickly influenced American and European automobile design and changed the look from the rectangular "horseless" carriages into sleek vehicles with sweeping lines, symmetry, and V-shapes that added to their mystique of speed and efficiency.^[24] Nash Motors introduced the modern fully-unitized body (monocoque) design for the low-price market in 1941^[25] that featured fastback “Slipstream” models with high prow-like hoods, and art-deco "speed lines" in sweeping chrome grilles and parallel bar trim.^[26] These aerodynamic-looking designs were applied by automakers and continued to be popular in the sellers' market after World War II.^[27] These "streamlined" forms began to be used in the design of mundane and static objects such as pencil sharpeners, refrigerators,^[12] and gas pumps^[28]

Art Deco celebrates the Machine Age through explicit use of man-made materials (particularly glass and stainless steel),^[12] symmetry,^[22] and 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".^[3]

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. Before destruction in World War II, Manila possessed many Art Deco buildings; a legacy of the American colonial past. A resurgence of interest in Art Deco came first in the 1960s,^[7][29][13] and then again in the 1980s with the growing interest in graphic design,^[7] where its association with film noir and 1930s glamour led to its use in advertisements for jewelry and fashion.^[30]

Some of the finest surviving examples of Art Deco art and architecture are found in Cuba, especially in Havana. The Bacardi Building is noted for its particular style,^[31] which echoes the classic themes of Art Deco. 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.^[32]

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.^[33] The reason for the style being so widespread in Brazil is its coincidence with the fast growth and radical economic changes of the country during 1930-1940. Art deco buildings are also numerous in Montevideo, Uruguay, including the iconic Palacio Salvo, which was South America's tallest building when it was built in the late 1920s.

Much of the Art Deco heritage of Tulsa, Oklahoma remains from that city's oil boom days.^[34] Houston, Texas has some surviving buildings, such as the Houston City Hall, the J.P. Morgan Chase building and the 1940 Air Terminal Museum, though many are threatened by modern development.^[35] In Beaumont, the Jefferson County Courthouse, built in 1931, is one of the few Art Deco buildings still standing.

Napier, New Zealand, was rebuilt in the Art Deco style after being largely razed by the Hawke's Bay earthquake of 3 February 1931. Although a few Art Deco buildings were replaced with contemporary structures during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, most of the centre remained intact for long enough to become recognized as architecturally unique, and from the 1990s onwards had been protected and restored. As of 2007, Napier has been nominated for UNESCO World Heritage Site status, the first cultural site in New Zealand to be nominated.^[36][37]

In London, the former Arsenal Stadium boasts the famous East Stand facade, which remains at the football club's old home at Highbury, London Borough of Islington, which was vacated in the summer of 2006. Opened in October 1936, the structure now has Grade II listed status and has been converted into flats. William Bennie, the man behind the project, famously used the Art Deco style in the final design which was seen as one of the most opulent and impressive stands in world football.

Mumbai has the second largest number of Art Deco buildings in the world after Miami.^[38]

In Indonesia, the largest stock of Dutch East Indies era buildings are in the large cities of Java. Bandung is of particular note with one of the largest remaining collections of 1920s Art Deco buildings in the world,^[39] with the notable work of several Dutch architects and planners, including Albert Aalbers that added the expressionist architecture style to the Art Deco by designing the DENIS bank (1936) and renovated the Savoy Homann Hotel (1939), Thomas Karsten, Henri Maclaine-Pont, J Gerber and C.P.W. Schoemaker. The Nederlandsche Handel Maatschappij building (1929), now Museum Bank Mandiri, by J de Bryun, AP Smiths, and C Van de Linde, and right across it, the Jakarta Kota Station (1929) designed by Frans Johan Louwrens Ghijsels, are the surviving Art Deco buildings in Jakarta.

The Manila Metropolitan Theater located along P.Burgos Street in Manila is one of the few existing art deco buildings in the Philippines.

Valencia, Spain built profusely in Art Deco style during the period of economic bounty between wars in which Spain remained neutral. Particularly remarkable are the famous bath house Las Arenas, the building hosting the Rectorship of the University of Valencia and the cinemas Rialto (currently the Filmoteca de la Generalitat Valenciana), Capitol (reconverted into an office building) and Metropol.

Africa's most celebrated examples of art deco were built in Eritrea during Italian rule. Many buildings survive in Asmara, the capital, and elsewhere.

Finally, one of the most famous surviving examples of the Art Deco style is the famous RMS Queen Mary, which is currently moored in retirement in Long Beach, California as a floating museum and hotel, a true lasting reminder to the past glory of the once numerous trans-Atlantic ocean liners, and to the Art Deco period.

The distinctive style of Art Deco has been echoed in many similar movements since its early decline.^[7] Art Deco influenced later styles such as Memphis and the Pop art movement.^[12] It also had an effect on post modern architecture and styles, even through to the late 1970s.^[7] Art Deco has also had a marked influence on contemporary design.^[3]

House design in the United Kingdom

During the 1930s, Art Deco had a noticeable influence on house design in the United Kingdom,^[13] as well as the design of various public buildings.^[7] Straight, white-rendered house frontages rising to flat roofs, sharply geometric door surrounds and tall windows, as well as convex curved metal corner windows, were all characteristic of that period.^[29][40][41]

• 1933 Chicago World's Fair Century of Progress
• 1936 Texas Centennial Exposition
• 1939 New York World's Fair
• Art Deco stamps
• International style
• Streamline Moderne
• Socialist realism, the Soviet version of Art Deco architecture.

• Applegate, Judith. Intro. by Elayne H. Varian, Art Deco (New York Finch College Museum Of Art).
• Bayer, Patricia, Art Deco Architecture Design, Decoration and Detail from the Twenties and Thirties. (London: Thames & Hudson, 1999) ISBN 0500281491, ISBN 978-0500281499.
• Benton, Charlotte (Author), Tim Benton (Author), Ghislaine Wood (Author), Oriana Baddeley (Collaborator). Art Deco: 1910-1939 (Little Brown & Co., 2003). ISBN 9780821228340.
• Breeze, Carla, American Art Deco: Modernistic Architecture and Regionalism (Norton, WW & Co., 2003). ISBN 0500281491; ISBN 978-0500281499.
• Duncan,Alaistair: Art Deco:The definitive Guide to the Decorative Arts of the 1920's & 1930's.(Thames & Hudson 2009) ISBN 978-0500238554
• Gallagher, Fiona, Christie's Art Deco (Watson Guptill Publications, 2002) ISBN 1862055092.
• Hillier, Bevis The World of Art Deco (New York, E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1971) ISBN 9780525482383 ISBN 0525482385.
• Lucie-Smith,Edward: Art Deco Painting (Phaidon Press Ltd London 1996) ISBN 978-0714835761
• Ray, Gordon N.; Tansell, G. Thomas, Ed., 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 0-7385-3228-2.
• Unes, Wolney. Identidade Art Deco de Goiânia. (Ateliê, 2003). ISBN 85-7480090-2.

• Art Deco Brazilian Northeast
• Art Deco Chicago
• Art Deco Miami Beach Photos
• Art Deco Montreal
• Art Deco Napier, New Zealand
• Art Deco Sydney, Australia
• Art Deco Society, Victoria, Australia
• Art Deco Society of Western Australia
• Art Deco Society of Washington
• Art Deco Society of California
• Art Deco Style
• Art Deco UK
• Illustrations: The Art Deco Book in France
• Durban Deco Directory: South Africa
• Nebraska State Capitol site
• Tulsa, Oklahoma Art Deco Heritage
• Victoria and Albert Museum Art Deco

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