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art dec·o Art Dec·o (ärt dĕk'ō)  |
A decorative and architectural style of the period 1925-1940, characterized by geometric designs, bold colors, and the use of plastic and glass.
[French Art Déco, from Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes, a 1925 exposition in Paris, France.]
| Art Encyclopedia: Art Deco |
Descriptive term applied to a style of decorative arts that was widely disseminated in Europe and the USA during the 1920s and 1930s. Derived from the style made popular by the Exposition Internationale des Arts D?coratifs et Industriels Modernes held in Paris in 1925, the term has been used only since the late 1960s, when there was a revival of interest in the decorative arts of the early 20th century. Since then the term 'Art Deco' has been applied to a wide variety of works produced during the inter-war years, and even to those of the German Bauhaus. But Art Deco was essentially of French origin, and the term should, therefore, be applied only to French works and those from countries directly influenced by France.
See the Abbreviations for further details.
| Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Art Deco |
For more information on Art Deco, visit Britannica.com.
| Modern Design Dictionary: Art Deco |
The term ‘Art Deco’ has been used to describe design and architecture from the 1910s, 1920s, and 1930s that was characterized by bright colours, geometric shapes, and decorative motifs deriving from a wide range of visual sources from the early years of the 20th century. The term—also known as moderne or modernistic—was an abbreviation of the French words ‘art’ and ‘décoratif’, themselves derived from the Paris Exposition des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels of 1925. However, the stylistic label ‘Art Deco’ only entered common currency in the mid-1960s when the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris mounted an exhibition entitled Les Années ‘25’: Art Déco/Bauhaus/Stijl/L'Esprit Nouveau (1966). It was given a further boost by the publication of a book by Bevis Hillier, Art Deco of the 20s and 30s (1968). Typical Art Deco motifs included flat abstracted garlands of flowers, flowing fountains, running deer, chevrons, lightning flashes, and sunbursts. They could be applied to anything from furniture, firescreens, and fountain pens to teacups, textiles, and toasters. In the 25 years or so of its duration, the Deco style may be seen to have made the transition from the sophisticated and somewhat elitist world of cocktail parties in the 1920s to the mass-produced, glitzy, and accessible world of the suburban cocktail cabinet of the 1930s.
The visual origins of the style included Cubist painting (particularly the more two-dimensional forms of Synthetic Cubism), the vivid colours associated with Matisse and the Fauves, the abstracted botanical and zoological forms explored by Raoul Dufy and members of Paul Poiret's Atelier Martine. Léon Bakst's striking and often orientalizing stage and costume designs for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes were also powerful ingredients. A widespread interest in ethnography, ‘primitivism’, and the collecting of ‘primitive’ artefacts in the early years of the 20th century also informed many designers' use of exotic woods, snakeskin, ivory, and other materials drawn from the French colonies. However, an interest in a rather more rectilinear and structured use of form and ornamentation was at the root of other strands of Deco. This stemmed from the work of Charles Rennie Mackintosh and designers associated with the early phases of the Wiener Werkstätte, particularly Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser. A further boost to the rather geometric structure of many Deco designs was given by Egyptian motifs with the opening of Tutankhamun's Tomb in 1922, as well as the widespread use of stencil techniques which underpinned many cheaper wallpaper, logo, and trademark designs. The nationalistic heritage of 18th-century design and ornament was a further significant stylistic sourcebook for French artistes-décorateurs, particularly furniture makers, as the 1925 Paris Exposition had been conceived as an important international stage for the work of the country's best designers. Although the Exposition had originally been intended to bring together industry and artistic endeavour, most of the works on display celebrated luxury and expense, features that characterized much of the work of members of the Société des Artistes Décorateurs (SAD) who held pride of place. Largely geared to catering for the affluent tastes of an affluent urban cultural elite the Société's leading figures included Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann, Jean Dunand, René Lalique, Louis Süe, and André Mare.
The dissemination of French decorative art was aided by the launching of a number of French luxury liners such as the Paris (1921), the Île de France (1927), and the Normandie (1935). Like major international exhibitions these floating palaces were symbols of national prestige. Often subsidized by the French government they afforded significant opportunities for French artistes-décorateurs to bring their work to an international, often wealthy, transatlantic travelling public. Important too in transmitting many of its features was the increasingly powerful and popular medium of film, especially the output of Hollywood, which often drew on Art Deco as a basis for its most striking sets. Pivotal in this were the highly glamorous sets overseen by art directors such as Cedric Gibbons of MGM (including Our Dancing Daughters, 1928, Our Modern Maidens, 1929, and Our Blushing Brides, 1930) and Van Nest Polglase of RKO (including the ‘latest idea in interior architecture for the modern home’ of The Magnificent Flirt, 1928, Flying Down to Rio, 1933, and Top Hat, 1935). Magazines such as Vogue and Vanity Fair were further vehicles for the promotion of stylistic trends, reflected in the design of many other publications that took on a more contemporary feel, with sans serif typography and geometric decoration.
In the years following 1925, the Art Deco style was widely disseminated across Europe and the United States as well as many other countries including South Africa, India, China, Australia, and New Zealand. This proliferation was furthered by the experiences of visitors to the Paris Exposition as well as the considerable international publicity and comment that it generated. Although the USA did not participate in the 1925 Exposition Herbert Hoover, Secretary of Commerce, appointed a commission to report back on European developments in the decorative arts. The commission consisted of 108 officials, manufacturers, art guilds, designers, museums, journalists, and trade associations, including the Furniture Designers Association, the Society of Interior Decorators, and the Silk Association of America. Following this, a number of American museums and department stores mounted exhibitions of French decorative arts. These built on an interest in European decorative arts that had been growing through the influence of a number of European designer immigrants to the Unites States including Josef Urban, Paul Frankl, Raymond Loewy, and Kem Weber. Equally, quite a number of American designers had visited Europe in the 1920s, including Ruth Reeves, who had studied with Fernand Léger, Donald Deskey, Walter Dorwin Teague, and Russell Wright. Deco was also an important ingredient of American department store window displays, such as that by Norman Bel Geddes for Franklin Simon, New York, which also owed much to the poster designer A. M. Cassandre. The style was a characteristic of the interior design of many American skyscrapers, especially their foyers that often also used indirect lighting effects in ways that had been seen in interiors at Paris. Deco patterns were also often found on their exteriors, particularly at the lower levels when they could be appreciated from the street. New materials such as Bakelite, Vitrolite, and chromium plating (See chrome) were also important ingredients of the style, seen to stunning effect in the interiors and furniture of Radio City Music Hall in the Rockefeller Center, New York, coordinated by Donald Deskey in the early 1930s.
Art Deco was also seen in Britain, often in the form of geometric sunburst motifs found on tea services, garden gates and fences, stained glass windows in domestic hallways, and radio cabinet loudspeaker grilles. In addition to enjoying Deco in the luxury film sets on the cinema screen, the general public also experienced it in the design of leisure architecture including hotels, theatres, lidos, and cinemas. Typical of the latter were the interiors and exteriors of the Odeon cinemas, characterized by the decorative manipulation of abstract forms, finishes, and colours.
Art Deco also became something of a critical battleground with Modernist writers like
The revival of interest in Art Deco in the 1960s and 1970s coincided with an increasing dissatisfaction with the restrictive aesthetic of Modernism and the more fertile and pluralistic terrain of Postmodernism. The most thorough and wide-ranging study of the style to date has been the major publication of Art Deco 1910-1939 (2003) edited by Charlotte and Tim Benton and Ghislaine Wood, all of whom curated the groundbreaking accompanying exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
| Architecture: Art Deco |
A decorative style stimulated by the Paris Exposition International des Arts Decoratifs et Industrielles Modernes of 1925, widely used in the architecture of the 1930s, including skyscraper designs such as the Chrysler Building in New York; characterized by sharp angular or zigzag surface forms and ornaments. Also referred to as Style Moderne.
| Columbia Encyclopedia: art deco |
Bibliography
See B. Hillier, Art Deco (1968), Y. Brunhammer, Art Deco Style (1984); V. Arwas, Art Deco (1985); A. Duncan, ed., Encyclopedia of Art Deco (1988); P. Bayer, Art Deco Architecture (1999); T. and C. Benton and G. Wood, ed., Art Deco: 1910-1939 (2003); C. Breeze, American Art Deco (2003); B. Hillier and S. Escritt, Art Deco Style (2003); G. Wood, Essential Art Deco (2003).
| Wikipedia: Art Deco |
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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, Argentina, Romania, Australia, New Zealand, India and Brazil. Many classic examples still exist in the form of architecture in many major cities. The Empire State Building and Chrysler Building, both in New York City, are two of the largest and best-known examples of the style.
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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[7] Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Art) in Paris,[8] which would feature French art and business interests.[6][9] 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.[10]
In the summer of 1969, Hillier conceived organizing an exhibition called Art Deco at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts,[11] 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.[12]
The structure of Art Deco is based on mathematical geometric shapes.[13] 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, as well as historical styles such as Greco-Roman Classicism, and the art of Babylon, Assyria, Ancient Egypt,[13][14] and Aztec Mexico.[1] Much of this could be attributed to the popular interest in archeology in the 1920s (e.g. Tomb of King Tutankhamun, Pompeii, the Lost City of Troy, etc). Art Deco also drew on Machine Age or streamline technology,[15] 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.[16]
Art Deco design influences were expressed in the crystalline and faceted forms of decorative Cubism and Futurism.[17][17] Other popular themes in Art Deco were trapezoidal, zigzagged, geometric, and jumbled shapes,[14][18] 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.[19]
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, Queen Mary, and Normandie. Art Deco was employed extensively throughout the United States' train stations in the 1930s,[20] 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][14] 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'.[1][21] Art Deco has been influenced in part by movements such as Cubism, Russian Constructivism and Italian Futurism,[14] which 'are all evident in Art Deco decorative arts'.[6]
Art Deco is characterized by use of materials such as aluminum, stainless steel, lacquer and inlaid wood.[8][13][14] Exotic materials such as sharkskin (shagreen), and zebraskin were also in evidence.[8][14][18][22] The bold use of stepped forms and sweeping curves (unlike the sinuous, natural curves of the Art Nouveau),[13][23] 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.
A parallel movement called Streamline Moderne, or simply Streamline, followed close behind. Streamline was influenced by the modern aerodynamic designs,[13] 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,[24] 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.[25] Nash Motors introduced the modern fully-unitized body (monocoque) design for the low-price market in 1941[26] that featured fastback “Slipstream” models with high prow-like hoods, and Art Deco "speed lines" in sweeping chrome grilles and parallel bar trim.[27] These aerodynamic-looking designs were applied by automakers and continued to be popular in the sellers' market after World War II.[28] These "streamlined" forms began to be used in the design of mundane and static objects such as pencil sharpeners, refrigerators,[13] and gas pumps.[29]
Art Deco celebrates the Machine Age through explicit use of man-made materials (particularly glass and stainless steel),[13] symmetry,[23] 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,[8][14][30] and then again in the 1980s with the growing interest in graphic design,[8] where its association with film noir and 1930s glamour led to its use in advertisements for jewelry and fashion.[31]
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,[32] 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.[33]
Another country with many examples of rich Art Deco architecture is Brazil, especially 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 the state of Paraiba — there is a noticeable group of Art Deco buildings, which has been called “Sertanejo Art Deco” because of its peculiar architectural features.[34] 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.
Fair Park, located in Dallas, TX, stands as one of the largest collections of Art Deco structures. Much of the Art Deco heritage of Tulsa, Oklahoma remains from that city's oil boom days.[35] Houston, Texas has some surviving buildings, such as the Houston City Hall, the JPMorgan Chase Building and the 1940 Air Terminal Museum, though many are threatened by modern development.[36] 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.[37][38]
In London, the former Arsenal Stadium boasts the famous East Stand facade. It 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. The London Underground is also famous for many examples of Art Deco architecture [39].
Mumbai, India has the second largest number of Art Deco buildings in the world after Miami.[40]
In China, at least sixty Art Deco buildings designed by Hungarian architect Laszlo Hudec survive in downtown Shanghai.[citation needed]
Kansas City is home to the Kansas City Power and Light Building which completed construction in 1931. This building serves as a great example of the Great Depression and its effect on Art Deco construction. Original plans called for a twin tower to be built next to it on its west side. However, it was never built due to financial constraints. As a result, the 476 foot tower has a bare west side, with no windows. Other examples of Art Deco buildings in Kansas City include Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City), the Jackson County Courthouse (Kansas City, Missouri), Kansas City City Hall; and 909 Walnut.
Cincinnati, Ohio houses the Cincinnati Union Terminal, an Art Deco style passenger railroad station that opened in 1933. After the decline of railroad travel, most of the building was converted to other uses. It now serves as the Cincinnati Museum Center, which welcomes more than one million visitors per year and is the 17th most visited museum in the United States.[41][42]
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,[43] 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.[8] Art Deco influenced later styles such as Memphis and the Pop art movement.[13] It also had an effect on post modern architecture and styles, even through to the late 1970s.[8] Art Deco has also had a marked influence on contemporary design.[3]
During the 1930s, Art Deco had a noticeable influence on house design in the United Kingdom,[14] as well as the design of various public buildings.[8] 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.[30][44][45]
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 | Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Art Encyclopedia. The Concise Grove Dictionary of Art. Copyright © 2002 by Oxford University Press, Inc.. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Modern Design Dictionary. A Dictionary of Modern Design. Copyright © 2004, 2005 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Architecture. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Read more |
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| Columbia Encyclopedia. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright © 2003, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Columbia University Press. All rights reserved. www.cc.columbia.edu/cu/cup/. Read more |
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