Art deco

Art Deco is a style of visual arts, architecture, and design that first appeared in France just before World War I. It influenced the design of buildings, furniture, jewelry, fashion, cars, movie theatres, trains, ocean liners, and everyday objects such as radios and vacuum cleaners. It took its name, short for Arts Décoratifs, from the Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) held in Paris in 1925. It combined modernist styles with fine craftsmanship and rich materials. During its heyday, Art Deco represented luxury, glamour, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress.

Origins

Art Deco originated in the early decades of the 20th century, but its heyday was during the 1920s and 1930s. The style is often characterized by rich colors, bold geometric shapes, and lavish ornamentation. Despite this, it was also seen as elegant, functional, and modern.

Characteristics

Art Deco is characterized by the use of materials such as aluminium, 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 everything from the Radio City Music Hall auditorium, to the spire of the Chrysler Building, to designs of women's hats.

Influence

Art Deco had a profound influence on many later artistic styles, such as Mid-Century Modern, Pop Art, and Postmodernism. It has also been a major influence in the world of fashion and in film and television production design.

Legacy and revival

After a decline in the 1940s, interest in Art Deco was revived in the 1960s. The style is now seen as one of the most important in the history of design, and its influence can still be seen in many areas of art and design today.

See also

• Art Nouveau
• Bauhaus
• Modernism
• Postmodernism