|
With the advent of the machine age, the rounded
organic shapes of Art Nouveau crumbled before the
angular, streamlined onslaught of Art Deco. Deco had
its roots in the early twentieth century, but really
took off after World War I, popularized by films
like 42nd Street and Grand Hotel, and
made accessible to the masses by modern production
techniques.
The new style paid homage to industrial design,
discarding Art Nouveaus sinuous curves and pretty
pastels in favor of clean lines and starkly modern
colors. Deco was an eclectic style, drawing on
sources as diverse as industrial machinery,
Hollywood glamour, Bauhaus architecture, and Cubist
painting. Contemporary fascination with travel and
archaeology found its way into the style as well,
and the sensational discovery of King Tuts tomb
contributed motifs like papyrus, pyramids, and
sphinxes as well as basic Deco building blocks like
stepped profiles (the Chrysler Building) and zigzag
shapes.
| During the period between the world wars, Art Deco
style was everywhere, from the Radio City Music
Hall, the ubertemple of Deco design, to the humble
Electrolux vacuum. Eighty years later, Decos glory
is undimmed, its elegance still fresh. Its simple
lines and affinity with modern architecture make it
a good choice for contemporary interiors, and it is
not a terribly hard period look to achieve. There
are many fine reproductions of Deco furniture on the
market. With the right accessories, a thirties-style
leather club chair, a streamlined birdseye maple
bedroom set, or a black lacquered cocktail cabinet
can anchor a Deco-themed room. |
French Fashion, Art Deco
Buy this Art Print
|
|
|
Art
Deco Style architectural details and
ornamentation!
Ceiling medallions, cornices
and moldings. Authentic Period and Historic Home
architectural ornamentation.
All crafted in genuine plaster.
For commercial and residential environments.
Visit
architecturalFX.com
|
Pair antique or reproduction furnishings with period
colors -- black and chrome or white on white in the
living room, cream, beige or pale green in the
bedroom -- and backdrops like geometric-patterned
rugs, faux leopard skins, terrazzo or polished
parquet floors. Deco accents are distinctive, but
varied. Bakelite and chrome ashtrays. Frosted glass
and silver cocktail shakers. Art glass with Aztec or
Egyptian designs. African-style figurines. Modernist
painting. A lamp in the shape of a nude female
figure. The possibilities are as limitless as, well,
modernity itself.
|
