New Angles

Art Deco

Art Deco began at the 1925 Paris International Exhibition of Decorative and Industrial Arts. It was more of an international style then a movement. It embraced every era of design and the decorative art including; architecture, interiors, furniture, fashion, jewellery, painting, graphics, book binding, glass, silver and ceramics. It was all about glamour, at first it was about simplifying form and streamlining it and fitting it to suit function.  Architecture characteristics were, curves were sleek and streamlined, and highlighted by painted lines. It also had new age lettering which was very stylish. Skyscrapers and step shaped tops and horizontal architecture was more clean and cool and filled with light. Art Deco design used interesting colours which were nice and bright such as yellow, red, green and etc. 

Art Deco turned life into art and its purpose was enjoyment, luxury and leisure and comfort. It was the highly colourful and playful geometric style which ruled the Paris Salons in the immediate post-WWI years.

Its decorative themes were;

·       Sunbursts and fountains - representing the dawn of a new modern age.

·       Symbols of speed, power and flight - the exciting new developments in transport and communications.

·   Geometric shapes - representing the machine and technology which it was thought would solve all our problems.

·        The new woman - revealing in her recently won social freedoms.

·         Breaking the rules - cacophonous jazz, short skirts and hair, shocking dances.

·    Ancient cultures - for oddly enough, there was a fascination with the civilizations of Egypt and Central America.

Art Deco did the opposite of art nouveau had it didn't have anything to do with that movement. It embraced movements such as Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism, Futurism and it was easily influenced by Russian ballet. Materials which were used were: ivory, enamel, shagreen (horse or skin of an animal), ebony and mother of pearl. Bakelite was a new material which was used easily for moulding and it can be either translucent or marbled, it was used for such new products like radios.

Eileen Gray

Eileen gray was a unique figure among those who knew her. her first client was Jacques Doucet who dressed Sarah Bernhardt. Grey made him a large red lacquered screen called le destin, decorated on one side with the shadowy figures of three men, and on the other with swooping silver and gold forms. The lacquered furniture that she made was called art deco, she made her most famous chair called the Bibendum chair, a leather piece that recalls the Michelin Man. From 1962 she worked on architectural project with Jean Badovici and her work became closer to that of Le Corbusier.

art deco trust. 2010. what is art deco. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.artdeconapier.com/pages/what-exactly-is-art-deco. [Accessed 28 November 13].

bryanmawr. 2003. history of art deco. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.brynmawr.edu/cities/archx/05-600/proj/p2/npk/historydeco.htm. [Accessed 28 November 13].

depatures.com. 2011. eileen grays modern masterpieces. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.departures.com/articles/eileen-grays-modern-masterpieces. [Accessed 28 November 13].