Art Deco Style

What Is Art Deco?
Art Deco is essentially a style of decoration which was applied to buildings as well as home decor, jewelry, and clothing. Vivid color and stark, geometric shapes influenced architecture, furniture, and fashion worldwide. Everything was geometric and cubic. Art Deco also incorporates a lot of contrasts, such as color palates of chrome and cobalt blue, and crystal and black. Clean shapes and elegant lines are emphasized; ornate moldings and scrolled protrusions that perform no practical function are left out to allow for the curves, sleek lines and streamlined geometric shapes, including stylized flowers and foliage.

The architecture and applied arts of the period reveal a varied mix. However, most share the hallmarks of geometry and simplicity, often combined with vibrant colors and simple shapes that celebrate the rise of commerce and technology. From luxurious objects made from exotic materials to mass produced, streamlined items available to a growing middle class, the world of Art Deco represents a "graciousness of form" from a simpler time.

Art deco is similar to the earlier Art Nouveau style, but with a more Modernist esthetic.  Art Nouveau is characterized by intricately detailed patterns of curving lines and is rooted in the British Arts & Crafts movement of William Morris. Art deco style is more reminiscent of the Precisionist art movement, which developed at about the same time.  Art deco architects and artists include:  Rene Lalique (French glassmaker), Jean Dunand (Swiss designer), Frank Lloyd Wright and Raymond Hood (American architects), Jean Dupas (French designer), William Van Alen (American architect), Paul Manship (American sculptor), C. Paul Jennewein (German sculptor), Erte (Russian/French painter & designer), Tamara de Lempicka (Polish painter) Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann (French furniture designer), Josef Hoffmann and Koloman Moser (Austrian jewelry designers), Edgar Brandt (French wrought iron sculptor), Louis Sullivan (American architect), J.A. Louis Hay (Napier architect), Sue et Mare (French designer) and Cassandre (Ukrainian/French printmaker).

How Did It Start?
At the beginning of the 20th century the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 ended the Victorian era and technology caused the pace of life to speed up. Technology, including electricity, airplanes, and telephones were introduced around the world. The ornate floral styles of the pre-Twenties gave way to a more simple style. After World War I ended in 1919, life had changed drastically. The world looked to Paris for leadership in fashion and design, and France's largest city delivered. Art Deco was born in 1925. The name was derived from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs Industriels et Modernes, held in Paris, which celebrated living in the modern world. Today, "Art Deco" is used to refer to a mix of styles from the 1920s and 1930s.

The Art Deco era was one of contradictions. The role of women changed during World War I. With their husbands away at war, women had to take care of matters outside their homes and they were reluctant to give up their freedom when men returned. When that war ended in 1918 corsets and petticoats were no more. Many women received the right to vote and most women now wore short hair, short dresses and makeup in public for the first time. Many women also began smoking and driving cars. The Art Deco style infused the everyday world with an elegant style of cool sophistication. Travel was in the news with ocean liners racing the Atlantic and trains crossing continents, as speed became a metaphor for modern times.

The Art Deco era ended with the start of World War II in 1941.

 
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