Art Deco Complete: The Definitive Guide to the Decorative Arts of the 1920s and 1930s

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Seen as quite a structured style, Art Deco took on a very Gatsby-esque self-indulgence based on the types of works created. Adopting features from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel, The Great Gatsby, the Art Deco style celebrated the flamboyance, frivolity, and decadence that emerged during the 1920s in America. Just as the characters within Fitzgerald’s book were fixated with the glitz and glamour that was synonymous with the lifestyle at the time, Art Deco celebrated everything that was considered to be luxurious and forward-thinking. One of the few female artists who practiced in the Art Deco movement was the Russian-born French artist Sonia Delaunay. Co-founder of the Orphism art movement, Delaunay is said to have been included with other notable Art Deco designers who still hold a strong influence over various fashion trends today. Inspired by the Cubist and Fauvist movements, Delaunay worked closely with fellow Surrealist and Dada artists while perfecting her style. This led to her becoming the first designer to bring abstract inspiration into the realm of fashion. The modernists established their own organization in 1929, which was called the French Union of Modern Artists. Creatives within this group included Pierre Chateau, Francis Jourdain, Le Corbusier, and Sonia Delaunay.

Towards the end of the 19 th century, many French artists, architects, and designers who were instrumental in the development of Art Nouveau noticed that the movement had become very outdated. With the 20 th century close approaching, and the effects of the Industrial Revolution coming into play, creatives were inspired to produce a style of art that would scream “tasteful and modern” from the rooftops. The Art Deco period was determined to restore France’s reputation as the first-class creator of decorative arts once again.However, one of Lalique’s most well-known glass sculptures was “Victoire”, which he created in 1928. In response to this, he sent a group to France to assess the artworks at the Exposition and to bring home any ideas that could be applied in a modern American artistic and architectural sense. At first, the term “Art Deco” was used in a disdainful way by the modernist architect Le Corbusier.

As it worked to integrate advanced styles with exceptional artistry and decadent materials, Art Deco went on to represent opulence, elegance, vitality, and trust in the social and technological progress that occurred in its prime. As an art movement, the features that defined Art Deco were easily identifiable. Deco art was typically recognized as a hodgepodge of different styles and seen as an eclectic amalgamation of various influences, materials, and shapes. Due to this, it can be hard to differentiate the Art Deco style from other similar schools of art like Art Nouveau, Art Moderne, the Bauhaus school, or the Arts and Craft movement. Completed in less than two years, it was said that approximately four floors were built each week, which was a surprisingly rapid fast for the types of machinery that was available at the time. Due to this, the greatest achievement of Ruhlmann’s career was said to have been his ability to merge the classical style of the past with the more advanced style of the modern world. Despite that, the Art Deco period was an incredibly influential one, with its decorative manner going on to inspire a variety of other artistic styles.Art Deco building elements also featured in some engineering projects, most notably in the towers of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Isabella studied at the University of Cape Town in South Africa and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in English Literature & Language and Psychology. Throughout her undergraduate years, she took Art History as an additional subject and absolutely loved it. Building on from her art history knowledge that began in high school, art has always been a particular area of fascination for her. From learning about artworks previously unknown to her, or sharpening her existing understanding of specific works, the ability to continue learning within this interesting sphere excites her greatly. Art Deco architecture is therefore distinguished by hard-edged and often amply decorated designs emphasized by lustrous metal accents. Many of the buildings designed using the features of Art Deco architecture have an upright emphasis, as they were built in a way that meant to draw the eyes of those walking on the streets upwards. Based on this style, the Art Deco movement was less connected to the traditional supposedly superior forms of art that were made up of painting and sculpture.

A decorative style of bold geometric shapes and bright colours, it encompassed furniture, textiles, ceramics, sculpture and architecture. The term ‘Arts Decoratifs’ (later shortened to Art Deco in the 1960s) was coined after the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriel Modernes (International Exhibition of Modern and Industrial Decorative Arts) held in Paris in 1925. The Art Deco label comes from Paris' 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes - a showcase event, organised by a loose collective of artists known as La Société des artistes décorateurs, for everything modern, stylish and high-end after the austerity of the post-World War I years. Built in the Turtle Bay neighborhood on the East Side of Manhattan, the Chrysler Building is known for being one of the most striking skyscrapers in the city. This style of architecture proved to be incredibly popular and continued to be used well into the 1960s. Some of the most recognizable buildings in America today represent the Art Deco style and patterns in its architecture. After World War One, Art Deco buildings that made use of steel and reinforced concrete began to appear all over large cities in America and Europe. In America, these buildings were typically used for offices, movie theatres, railroad stations, and government buildings.During the 1960s, a restored fascination in Art Deco design was fostered and as of today, Art Deco continues to be a key motivation in areas of decorative art, fashion, and even jewelry design. As he practiced within the Art Deco movement, his style of glassmaking dominated the jewelry industry. Lalique’s triumph was also credited to an older method of glass casting, which was rarely used up until this point, and enabled him to effortlessly produce multiples of the same design. In addition to his dainty perfume bottles and pieces of jewelry, some of Lalique’s monumental Art Deco works include the walls of illuminated glass and glass pillars for the ocean liner, Normandie. Delaunay’s bold color and textile combinations led to her title of “designer of modern fashion” during the 1925 Exposition in Paris. Representing modernism that was turned into fashion, Art Deco exists as one of the first truly international styles. The purpose behind the artworks was to create a stylish and anti-traditional form of refinement that represented wealth and sophistication. Art Deco marked a time of newly discovered optimism after World War One and oriented itself towards the future and contemporary notions of progress.