It’s a visually
rich palette. It’s a modern statement. It’s mathematical and elegant. It’s an
elitist movement, ripe with cultural influence. It’s Art Deco. Since it originated
in 1900, Art Deco has shrouded the world with a culturally and technologically
influenced art style. It became a symbol - It became an era. Manifesting from a
sudden surge of technological progression, Art Deco embraced a generation
through a plethora of art forms in “design
and the decorative arts” (Carolyn
Mcdowall, www.youtube.com, 2010) – architecture, interior
design, furniture, decoration and even transport. With a huge thanks to an
ensemble of key influential organisations, exhibitions and most importantly,
designers - such as Hector Guimard, Eugene Grasset and Raoul Lachenal - Art
Deco was not just propelled into the elite society for a temporary phase, it
became an artistic revolution – a cultural icon of the 20th century.
Modern society recognises it, identifies with it and even to this day, exhibits
its influence unknowingly. However, its journey was not short or straight – it
rose, fell, reached its apex and eventually stamped its mark on arts history,
on society’s history. And through recent years of disinterest and neglect, its
rhythm has started to pulsate yet again - Art Deco “is enjoying a substantial revival of interest” (Eva Weber, E. W. (2003) Art Deco. JG Press.)
THE HISTORY AND
JOURNEY OF ART DECO
Holding an
exaggerated “mirror” (Eva Weber, E. W. (2003) Art Deco. JG Press) to its
times, Art Deco represented the cultural progression that Paris was witnessing
in the late 19th and early 20th century. Technology had
begun its worldwide journey through a surge of interest and a loop of
technological evolution and facilitation. However, it didn’t just “become”,
it was an influenced manifestation and departure from other movements - Art Nouveau, Modernism and Cubism.
Carolyn Mcdowall believes “It borrowed
from virtually all the design stars of the past in order to fashion the future”
(www.youtube.com, 2010). In other words, it was a retrospective
study of the past that gave its response with a modern influence in order to
lead the way - and it did. Its aims, at
least at its beginnings, focused on “simplifying form, streamlining it, and
fitting it to suit function” (www.youtube.com, 2010) as Carolyn Mcdowall believes. Take
the two examples to the right – the 1930’s decorative stone geometrical
staircase with engineered iron bars and an oak wreathed handrail, as well as the
21st century clinical, mathematical and elegant staircase – you can
see this design philosophy flowing within creativity of these two interior
staircases. They are simple, they are streamlined - they are functional. But
declared quondam, Art Deco resonated within a cluster of art forms within the
decorative arts. The colourfully bold stained glass window salvaged from old “residential homes from England” (www.stainedinglass.co.uk, 2004). The
iconic 1933 Chicago
World's Fair poster, that summarised Art Deco on all parts and the glorifying
female “Flapper” fashion that revolutionised the independence of woman. This variety
of examples grounds Art Deco’s embrace as a fact of life, not just an artistic
theory – it defined a generation.
However, years
passed before Art Deco eventually reached its apex. It was only until the “Exposition Universelle” of 1900 that promoted
Paris’s achievements of the past century that Art Deco “really” started to naturally manifest as its own independent
movement. It was at this retrospective that the “Decorative Artists Society was founded following the
Universal Exposition of 1900” (www.arthistory.net, 2005). This was to become the most crucial step of Art Deco’s journey as
its early members just happened to be the most influential Art Deco designers -
Hector Guimard, Eugene Grasset and Raoul Lachenal. Coincidentally, these
designers just happened to practice Art Deco’s main influences – Art Nouveau,
Cubism and Modernism. These are the individuals that eventually set the
foundations, built upon the foundations and set the standard Art Deco is
internationally identified by today. Not years later, in 1925, did the “Exposition Internationale des Arts
Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes” take place, where John M.
Cunningham states “the style
was first exhibited” (www.britannica.com, 2012). Before this, it was a developing style, attempting to find
its feet and keep its footing as the style “Style
Modern” (www.britannica.com, 2012). It was at this famed
exhibition, that the term “Art Deco” was
coined – which, as surprising as it is, was an abbreviation of the
exhibitions name which propelled it into the cultural spotlight.
Years passed,
Art Deco hit its stride, its influence was felt and its apex finally arrived.
Its penultimate stop - central between two world wars - and thus, its eventual
wane in popularity. Why? The Great Depression. The war was less a physical,
more an economic disaster, especially in France, with ArtHistory.net stating
that “it did have to rebuild its economy
after the Great Depression of 1929” (www.arthistory.net, 2009). Money was scarce, resultant from the financial redirection
for arms and military defence. The result? Industrialisation – everything was at the bare
minimum, with no room for extravagant, elitist, biased design. Art Deco began
to lose its cultural popularity, leaving in its wake a permanent shadow of its
former self – cars, transport and architecture. Its most famous
examples being the UK’s Midlands Hotel in Morecombe and the Parade of
Progress transit van – projections of Art Deco’s artistic style (both seen above).
Art
Deco’s influential journey, from its rise to its fall, wouldn’t have been
possible but for those who drove it, developed it and solidified it – its key
Designers, Hector Guimard, Eugene Grasset and Raoul Lachenal, or to abbreviate
it, the Decorative Artists Society
ART DECO’S KEY
DESIGNERS
What is
the Decorative Artists Society? What did it do for Art Deco? Who were those
involved? What was their creative input? What was their influence on the
movement? These are the questions that must be answered to fully appreciate Art
Deco’s journey from an influenced idea to a comprehensive movement that
influenced the future.
ArtHistory.net declares that the
“founder of the Decorative Artists Society” was “Hector Guimard” (www.arthistory.net, 2009) along
with other key influential designers. With the primary goal to
demonstrate internationally, the evolution of French decorative arts, the
Decorative Arts Society followed Art Nouveau and moulded Art Deco as an
extension of its ornate heritage – a influenced predecessor – a homage with its
own statement. Practicing with this goal and influence at its core, three early
members used the Decorative Arts Society as a catalyst for creative expression
- Hector Guimard, Eugene Grasset and Raoul Lachenal. However, their intrinsic
talent existed long before this milestone in Art Deco’s journey – they were
each individual, passionate, artistically craving and independent designers
with their own influences and rich portfolios.
Starting
with the most renowned founder of the Decorative Artists Society, Hector
Guimard, born in 1867, “was an important
French architect, interior designer and designer of Art nouveau objects.” (www.hector-guimard.com,
2007) Influenced heavily by the Belgian designer and architect Victor
Horta, Guimard’s most famous work was Paris’ Art Nouveau metro entrances, with
their artistic legacy surviving to this present day – 86 of them to be exact.
Completing main bodies of personal work, Guimard took it upon himself to accept
various commissions for projects, eventually becoming the pin-up for Art
Nouveau - and rightfully so, with HectorGuimard.com stating he was “regarded as the leading exponent of the Art
nouveau style, which is often called the "Style Guimard" in France.”
(www.hector-guimard.com, 2007). This
was a feat by all means; he became an icon and astoundingly, an influence to
his influences. His artistic legacy was an eventuality of passion and attention
to detail. “No detail was unimportant to
him” (www.hector-guimard.com, 2007) – his
work with iron, steel and colour in architecture left an influential ripple
that confidently placed the foundation of Art Deco. But he was not alone.
Eugene Grasset
was a man of many artistic trades – “carpet patterns, decorative iron,
jewellery, calendars, postage stamps, and much more.” (www.eugene-grasset.com, 2007). Born May 25th,
1841, in a French speaking Switzerland city named “Lausanne”, Grasset started his
journey studying architecture at a school in Zurich. Although not a conclusive
success, he travelled the world, ravishing and soaking up the variety of
cultures surrounding him. Egyptian, Aztec and Parisian are just a few to name
and through it, eventually came home from his sophisticated venture, “active in all areas of applied art,
including furniture design, book illustrations, and posters.” (www.eugene-grasset.com, 2007). His famous
versatile portfolio of work included the façade of the Hôtel de Dumas in Paris, mosaics in Saint Etienne in Braire and
stained glass windows in the cathedral at Orléans. Although not the cultural
icon Guimard was, the “versatility and
the trends in his works” were solely responsible for his comparisons to
reformers such as Walter Crane. In that fact, he became an invaluable tool to
the Decorative Artists Society - a bible of cultural knowledge, leaving only
one more designer to complete the comprehensive trio - Raoul Lachenal.
Working “in his father's studio until 1911, when he
established a new workshop at Boulogne-sur-Seine.” (www.jasonjacques.com, 2011), Raoul Lachenal
focused on the art of ceramics. With a heavy exertion of influence from his
father, Edmond Lachenal, organically formed influences beamed through his
glazed ceramic work. However, his work still retained a personal character - a
personal expression. After developing his accomplished portfolio, he finally
exhibited his extravagant stoneware at the Paris salons in 1904. With a “positive
reception” to such work as the Lotus Charger and Curvy Vines, he took that as a successful milestone
and began to develop upon it. He “adopted
an additional decorative mode: incising geometrical designs on stoneware and
filling the sections with vividly contrasting slips.” - Key design aspects
that eventually defined the movement, Art Deco. Whilst he was not a great versatile,
influential pioneer like Grasset or Guimard, Lachenal had developed a precise
talent for decoration, and brought his geometric character to the Decorative
Arts Society.
As a
collective, all three designers brought their palette of varied knowledge and
experience to the table to develop a unification of styles, influences and
ideas. The result? An artistic society which demonstrated the evolution of
French decorative arts. However, although each designer brought their talent to
push Art Deco to its apex between the wars, The Great War brought along with it
an industrialised world to facilitate The Great Depression – a point in history
that tortured the wealthy art style of Art Deco. Along with the biased, elitist
movement, the wealthy shapes and the vibrant colours, Art Deco and its
facilitator, the Decorative Arts Society, waned. Regardless, by this point, Art
Deco had already left its stamp of cultural and artistic history – it had an
image, an atmosphere, even a way of life.
THE CULTURAL
IDENTITY OF ART DECO
“Hollywood is Art Deco, Art Deco is Hollywood” (www.youtube.com, 2011) – a single quote from Dr Susan
Currell, an expert in American Studies, which summarises Art Deco as a whole.
It’s “all about glamour”, historian
Carolyn Mcdowall confidently states. The fact is, the general public didn’t see
Art Deco’s influences in homes, rather, they were exposed to it through
television and cinema. In fact, Hollywood owes its success to Art Deco, as does
Art Deco owe part of its international success to Hollywood. France had heard
of its name and seen its design, but it was only after this overexposure to the
glamorous new-age statement that it started to flood culture with its artistic
integrity – its idolised image. British designers such as Clarice Cliff
introduced Art Deco to the mass market in the 1920, but it was Hollywood’s Art
Director Frederick Gibbons that marketed the movement consciously to give
Hollywood the glamorous, modern stereotype the 1920’s to 1940’s film industry has
today. It “Represents novelty” and was
“what people looked for” for in
entertainment. Films like “Sabrina” (1954)
had Art Deco influences - the buildings, the fashions, the female independence,
the interior design and the extravagant furniture. “Our Dancing Daughters”
(1928), a classic noire film, clearly showed the fashionable “Flapper” style women were often
pictured in – it was independence, beauty and glamour. However, it was not the
sum of its parts that conjured Art Deco’s representation to the public, it was
the parts themselves.
“The characteristic features of these
pavilions included zigzag architectural setbacks, the use of unusual materials,
the incorporation of decorative wall paintings and ornate metal and glass
worked in geometric and floral patterns. Exquisite metal work by Edgar Brandt
and decorative glass by Lalique were to be found.” (Eva
Weber, E. W. (2003) Art Deco. JG Press.)
By observing
architectural phenomena such as the Chrysler Building, The Golden Gate Bridge
and the Morecombe Hotel in the Midlands you can see how the quondam quote
retains validity. Famous for its mathematical and
elegant geometric shapes, Art Deco
became heavily influenced over the early 20th century. In the UK you
have the Midlands Hotel in Morecombe, inspired by the geometrical focus Art
Deco adopts. In the US you have the Chrylser Building which
was inspired by the trademark Sunburst Motif, and the
Golden Gate Bridge whcih focuses on mathematical shapes
to facilitate. Art Deco’s identity even finds itself within the interiors
of cinema theatres; most cinemas in modern society all have art deco interiors
- cinemas such as the Royal Palace Theatre.
It was this
consolidation of attributes that composed the general cultural image Hollywood
utilised and in turn, the image that the world adopted. However, these parts
originated from the designers that implemented them into the mix – designers who
were influenced both individually and as a collective society.
THE INSPIRATIONS
OF ART DECO
The Art
of Babylon. Ancient Egypt. Aztec Mexico. Africa. A culmination of historical styles
that spawned the common household image of Art Deco and, without realising it,
modern society is exposed to its massive influence day by day. Now, look back
at the quote from Carolyn Mcdowall - “It borrowed from virtually all the
design stars of the past in order to fashion the future” (www.youtube.com, 2010). Now look at the aforementioned cultures
– these are the design stars so vaguely mentioned in Mcdowall’s commentary and
with them, Art Deco created a collage of these artistic inspirations to create
a whole new vision of the present, and an ambition of the future. But there was
one design style which prompted its cloud nine ambition - Art Nouveau, its
forerunner movement.
Many find it hard to differentiate
between these two. Simply because Art Deco is the spiritual younger brother of
Art Nouveau and in turn, share many similar ideologies and visual qualities. So
what is Art Nouveau? It’s “Fluidness, curvy,
intricate, decorative, flowery.” (www.youtube.com, 2011) says Spencer Thompson. There were a
lot of natural elements incorporated into Art Nouveau pieces – it was a
decorative statement - a protest against the mass producing, industrial
revolution. In this movement ‘decorative’ is the operative adjective. Art Deco
had similar aims and visual aspects – decoration through elegance, shapes and
imagery. However, the difference here is that Art Nouveau was a reaction. Art
Deco was an observation and glorification, borrowing mainly from its design
hero Art Nouveau, twisting it with its own character for a literal but
exaggerated representation of modern society. But there was one more design
style culprit that created the shadow that Art Deco could light – Avant Garde.
Vam.co.uk states that Avant Garde was “The new visual language, colour and iconography” (www.vam.co.uk, 2003). Its geometric
abstract and visually fragmented vocabulary placed the foundation for Art Deco
to colour. As a design style that was also a combination of forerunner styles,
Avant Garde was a statement of dynamic modernism. It was this statement and
this ideology alone that inspired the young Art Deco. Think of Avant Garde as
the dotted lines that Art Deco could connect, followed by colouring in between
those influenced lines with Nouveau’s colourful, decorative palette – the
result is Art Deco, a movement which took from the past, to create the new.
So, Art Deco
was a natural evolution of various styles and cultures. It progressed onwards
with a little artistic and social assistance to define a new generation. It
then then witnessed another milestone – The Great Depression - the milestone
that forced Art Deco into hiding. But, in this wane, it left Art Nouveau’s and
Avant Garde’s influential shadows to stand its own spotlight. It placed the
full stop at the end of its story, leaving behind its legacy - a legacy that
influenced others. Now, in the present day, Art Deco has come full circle. It “is enjoying a substantial revival of
interest” (Eva Weber, E. W. (2003) Art Deco. JG Press.)
ART DECO
TODAY
Mass production in the mid-20th
century forced Art Deco into the industrial revolution’s aftermath, to be left
in the dark with only temporary threads of light to highlight its parts. Now,
in the 21st century, its legacy still remains as a whole, but its
book seemingly remains closed, waiting for a new chapter to be written. These
threads of light remain within the various examples of aging, but lasting
architecture, fashion and furniture. However, there are still enthusiasts out
there that believe that Art Deco’s heritage and legacy are as important now, as
they were in the early 20th century. Art Deco Society of
Boston is one of such governments. The society’s goal “is the preservation of our Art Deco and Modern architectural
heritage.” (www.bostonartdeco.com, 2009). And with Art Deco’s remnants
aging every day, the society aims to preserve key locations and works that
symbolise its legacy. But even within this desperate grasp on Art Deco’s
legacy, it still makes itself known around the world. The Midlands Hotel and
the Chrysler Building are examples already discussed, but Art Deco hides within
the cracks today’s influences forget to polish over with its ignorance. It was
said that Art Deco featured heavily in theatres, this has not changed. The
Cineworld Cinema is one the most popular cinemas in the UK. The photo to the
right, taken in Didsbury, is one of the many identical screens around the many
identical cinemas in the UK. Look closely, with purpose, and instantly seen, is the sunburst motif created by the use of light and shadow -
in this case it is actually used to present light rather than to
represent an ideology or symbol like the Chrysler Building succeeded
in doing with its sunburst motif peak as if to say "Look at this, look at
what our country has accomplished". This Cineworld in Didsbury,
like many others around the country, simply used it for effect -
understandable considering its magnificent effect.
CONCLUSION
Art Deco
started as a conceptual vision, inspired by what came before it, adopting
various iconic aspects of various ideologies, visual directions and historical
designs. It took its journey, developing and blossoming with a little help from
exhibitions, influential designers, ambitious societies and even pop culture.
In the end, it reached its apex during the two wars, lost its relevant energy,
and waned through an evolution, time and events. However, in its partial
demise, remained its legacy – a legacy that influenced the future, leaving a
lasting impression and artefacts to artistically cherish. Replacing it, were
new interpretations of modern society and new visions of the future - movements
such as Futurism and Memphis, which are more relatable to today. However,
without Art Nouveau,
Avant Garde, Cubism and Modernism, today’s predecessor movements wouldn’t
exist, nailing Art Deco’s legacy to our history. Satisfying and approving its
primary goal – to borrow “from virtually all the design stars of
the past in order to fashion the future” (www.youtube.com, 2010). This statement remained core to the
movement Art Deco, proving that although flawed in its bias towards the rich, Art
Deco was a milestone in the arts.
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