Skip to main content

Week 7 | Art Deco


The era of Art Deco was a rather quick movement in art, design, and culture. It was an emphasis on luxury, after WWI, almost like a celebration. It was right before WWII. Art Deco originated in France, and was heavily inspired by the advancements in electricity, transportation, and industrialism. Materials and themes also recognized as Art Deco were; the skyscraper profile, decoration, chevron, zig-zags, African tribal print, large mirror, lacquered wood, ebony, large light fixtures, polished metals, leather, and glass. There were two types of Art Deco, one being the more feminine side and the other considered the more masculine side. The small scale, dainty decorative aspect of design was considered feminine, with high quality decorations, and mostly hand-crafted lacquered woods. The larger scale aspect of design that was inspired by chrome, plastics, and the machine was considered masculine.            During the Art Deco era, tensions were arising between functionalists and decorators. Functionalists valued function, simplicity, and mass production. Decorators valued labor intensive craftsmanship and serving the elite. 
            It was in this era that a lot of female designers emerged, including Eileen Gray and Sonia Delauney. Both of these designers emphasized geometric lines. However, their designs differed in colors, materials, and type of application. Gray is known for her furniture while Delauney is well known for her fashion designs and paintings.

Poster From the 1925 World’s Fair in Paris 


Folding screens were a huge trend during the Art Deco era


Fashion design by Sonia Delauney



Current Applications

An Art Deco inspired café in Toronto


One step further…
Paul Frankl was an Austrian architect, furniture, textiles, and wallpaper designer. He is best known for the skyscraper profile in his furniture, a classic Art Deco theme. Frankl introduced the use of plywood in furniture, instead of solid wood. He also is known for using cork veneer. Frankl introduced the use of rattan and bamboo. I thought this was interesting because of the popularity that rattan regained in the 1960’s and 1970’s and now today. 


Rattan Chair



Comments

  1. Professor VanderNoordaaMarch 3, 2019 at 1:49 PM

    Olivia- very thorough description of Art Deco it really was a celebration- good analogy.
    I really appreciate your visual examples! I love Paul Frankl's rattan chair.

    ReplyDelete
  2. SimiMarch 3, 2019 at 4:20 PM

    Olivia I liked the image examples you used for your one step further. I find the skyscraper designs of Paul Frankl very interesting because even without organic and curvilinear lines, there is a sense of movement and fluidity rather than the stiffness of a box. I also found it interesting how you pointed out that folding screens were popular in the era; when I was reading about the movement, I saw a lot of them but I didn't realize it could also be a feature of the movement. Lastly, I think females are usually more on the decorative side so it made sense when you said female designers emerged in this era because I feel they could do really good in this type of design.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 3 | Art Nouveau Part II

Art Nouveau in the United States had a lot to do with revoking the traditional European style and creating a new, unique American style. The two main designers who seemed to lead the movement in the United States were Louis Comfort Tiffany and Lewis Henry Sullivan.  Louis Comfort Tiffany was a notable painter, glass worker, and very good with decorative arts. He was known to be the one to bring Art Nouveau to the United States from Europe, after attending the great exposition and visiting the Art Nouveau booth. Some of his designs that he created afterwards were sent back to Europe and sold in the original Art Nouveau shop. After some time, his work was also put on display at the Art Institute in Chicago. Lewis Henry Sullivan came to Chicago after the great fire to rebuild. He was known for some of the first skyscrapers ever to be designed, because he looked at the idea of building vertically, rather than horizontally. His designs were very detailed and ornamented, and can be se...
2 comments
Read more

Week 11| Modernism in America: Part II

The era from the 1950’s to the 1970’s in modern design was a time of experimentation. Designers such as Charles and Ray Eames designed furniture with materials such as plywood and plastic, which was attractive and also affordable for the middle class. Eero Saarinen was another famous designer from this era. His designs brought the Scandinavian style to the United States. One of his best known pieces was the Womb Chair. Manufacturers like Knoll and Herman Miller emerged during this era. They specialized in modern office furniture and equipment. This was where we were introduced to pieces such as the Eames Lounge Chair and the Marshmallow Sofa.  Eero Saarinen Tulip table and chairs Eames Lounge Chair Current Applications: Eames Furniture in current application Artist, Lianne Nixon illustrates interiors inspired by Charles and Ray Eames REALLY COOL! Check it out here: https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/lianne-nixon-illustration-100217 One step fur...
4 comments
Read more

Week 2 | Art Nouveau Part I

Art Nouveau, is literally translated to "New Art". It was a brand new movement around the turn of the century that rejected all histories of other movements and eras, and brought forth it's own. It differed from the Arts and Crafts movement in many ways, but the first was that it was highly ornamented. The forms found in the Art Nouveau era of architecture and design, were inspired by nature and then stylized. The major art of architecture, was united with minor arts, rejecting historical precedents. Another difference from Arts and Crafts was the embraced use of technology and the manufacturing process within the Art Nouveau movement. Materials such as iron and glass were used as well as mosaic tile patterns and stenciled designs on walls and ceilings. The sure sign that a design is inspired by Art Nouveau is the whiplash motif, or exaggerated curvilinear forms. The entrance to the subway in Paris. Designed by Art Nouveau designer: Hector Guimard. Horta House...
3 comments
Read more