ART DECO El Paso Museum of Art August 22–November 30, 2018
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ART DECO LEFT: Tamara de Lempicka, Autoportrait, 1929.
is an art movement that had its origins during the 1920s and 1930s in France before the beginning of World War I. It was created after the Art Nouveau period and substituted the curved lines and patterned surfaces with precise lines and geometric shapes. Art Deco’s name originated from the Paris exposition Internationale des Arts DÊcoratifs et Industriels Modernes that took place in 1925. This exposition invited artists to present artworks that did not copy historical styles of the past. However, the Art Deco name was not used until the writer Bevis Hillier published his book Art Deco of the 20s and 30s. Art Deco was a revolutionary style that influenced different aspects of design such as architecture, graphic design, fashion and jewelry.
END PAPERS: Edouard Benedictus, Carpet, 1930.
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William Van Alen, Chrysler Building, 1930.
Architecture Vibrant colors, murals, geometric designs and materials such as marble and ceramics were used to decorate Art Deco buildings. Unique motifs to specific regions such as gargoyles were used to illustrate the characteristic glamour of the era. One of the best- known examples of architecture of the period is New York’s Chrysler Building designed by William Van Alen. It was the tallest building in the world before the Empire State Building, another great Art Deco skyscraper, surpassed it. Its excitement lies primarily in the seven floors, which make up the
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elongated dome, each of a tiered, arched form with triangular dormer windows encased in shimmering nickel chromed steel. Movie theaters built during the 1920s are also good examples of Art Deco style. The fact that silent films went to “talkies” during this time was a big boom for business, attracting spectators to theaters and inspiring the construction of many Art Deco theaters. One example is the Grauman’s Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, a theater inspired by Egyptian tombs and pyramids.
“Art Deco is a “total style”. Purely ornamental, unlike modernism, which had political underpinnings”
—BEVIS HILLIER
Ritter & Shay, National Bank Building, 1929.
Wirt Rowland, The Guardian Building, n.d.
Cross & Cross, City Bank Trust Building, 1931.
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Graphic Design A new era of graphic design and commercial art began with the creation of posters to announce events such as art exhibitions, cabaret and burlesque shows. They turned into publicity for music concerts, luxury products and travel. Art Deco poster design was simple. The product and the brand name were the protagonists. Sharp linear compositions, floating on flat areas of background color featured new sans serif typefaces that streamlined the message. One of the most well known poster-designers was the Parisian Jean Carlu. His poster created for the ThÊâtre Pigalle featured a form of minimalism in which a broken white line traced the message. He was also known for his designs for Charlie Chaplin movies. A M. Cassandre was also a recognized Art Deco designer. His famous design for the ocean liner S.S. Normandie depicts a huge, glamorous boat upon which only the rich could afford to travel. It soon turned into a poster classic. Cassandre understood the purpose that posters had and how strong the messages in his graphics were. Simplification translated into a vigorous interplay of geometric and machine elements. Poster art transformed into a dominant twentieth-century advertising phenomenon.
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A.M. Cassandre, S.S. Normandie, 1935.
Georges Favre, Berger-Grillon, 1930.
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Fashion Fashion magazines like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Vanity Fair used the Art Deco geometric style on their covers, setting the movement as a parameter not only for design but also for clothes. During World War I, women were no longer staying at home to take care of the children, but also getting involved in activities that were before only reserved for men. Due to this new era, clothing design evolved to a more practical style. Asphyxiating corsets and exuberant hairstyles from the Victorian era were now in the past.
Madeleine Vionett, La Fleur, 1920.
Deco-era clothes were first inspired by the Ballets Russes in Russia, founded by Sergei Diaghilev, who created this new style to rejuvenate ballet by introducing exotic themes, sets and costumes. Particularly, the use of luxurious materials by the fashion designer Paul Poiret led to the birth of Art Deco fashion. Eveningwear was inspired by Japanese kimonos and characterized by long, sleeveless dresses that had open backs, shiny fabrics, tassels and long fringe. Furthermore, floral details and geometric lines were essential in clothes during the Art Deco movement. Two important women of Art Deco fashion were Madeleine Vionnet and Gabrielle “Coco� Chanel. Freedom and movement were main characteristics of their design. Vionnet worked with simplicity and the drape in a classical dress. Bias-cut dresses soon became her trademark. Skirts were shorter and more elegant than exuberant. She used the organic shapes of the petals of the flowers to incorporate geometric shapes into her pieces. Chanel played an important role in Art Deco fashion. She adapted traditional Russian clothes into luxuriously embroidered garments for women.
Georges Lepape, Vogue cover, 1927. RIGHT: Vogue covers, 1920s and 1930s.
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With Chanel’s influence, Art Deco fashion showed black as a color that could be used at any time of the day. She used it in many of her pieces and added costume jewelry to complement simple suits and dresses. Also, Chanel popularized the “little black dress” and the trouser suit. Her suit was a response to women’s new roles in society. It consisted of a collarless, button-up, wool jacket, and a well-fitted skirt. The masculine suit was a traditional piece that was rapidly applauded by the new society of the 1920s.
Jean Fouquet, Bracelet, white gold, yellow gold and onyx,1925.
Jewelry Art Deco jewels reflected the angularity of Cubism. After the naturalism of Art Nouveau, nature now took second place to geometry. Circles, triangles and squares were the center of attention and every piece made during Art Deco era would include these shapes. During this era, color was also an important element. The pastels and soft colors of Art Nouveau were replaced by bold and vivid colors. Sapphires, emeralds, and rubies were combined to create ostentatious jewelry. Non-precious
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Gabrielle Chanel, Evening dress, 1922.
Jean Dunand, Cuff bracelet in gold and lacquer, 1928.
Jean Fouquet, Pendant brooch in platinum, lacquer, aquamarine and diamonds, 1927.
materials like onyx, jade, lapis and coral were also popular. Georges Fouquet and Louis Cartier were two important designers that marked this era. Fouquet was very good at juxtaposing geometric elements and strong colors. Jean Fouquet, son of Georges Fouquet, also created unique pieces that contributed to Art Deco jewelry design. One of his great designs was a pendant brooch in platinum, lacquer, aquamarine, topazes and diamonds. Cartier was the inventor of a new type of jewelry that had clips. The invention of the clip led to the boom in transformable jewelry: the most common items were double clips that could be joined together to form a brooch. In conclusion, Art Deco was a revolutionary style that influenced architecture, graphic design, fashion, jewelry and many other arts. Its style has influenced contemporary art. One example of Art Deco in fashion is the Gucci Hard Deco S pring 2012 collection. The Italian brand’s line featuring geometric lines, a lean silhouette, and hems slithered around the knees of flapper dresses resemble the glamour and elegance of Art Deco. Thus Art Deco style is still alive and well today, almost a full 100 years from when it first appeared.
Gucci, Hard Deco Collection- Look 36, 2012.
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