Art Deco

Art Deco, sometimes referred to as Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture and design that first appeared in France just before World War I. Art Deco influenced the design of buildings, furniture, jewellery, fashion, cars, movie theatres, trains, ocean liners, and everyday objects such as radios and vacuum cleaners. It took its name, short for Arts Décoratifs, from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) held in Paris in 1925. It combined modernist styles with fine craftsmanship and rich materials. During its heyday, Art Deco represented luxury, glamour, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress.

Key ideas:

– Many works by the representatives of the Art Deco are characterized by strong ideals of beauty.
– The representatives of Art Deco borrowed some ideas from the art of the Aztecs, Egyptian and ancient cultures. They depicted different ornaments resembling those used in national cultures.
– Art Deco was a purely decorative art movement.
– Art Deco artists used intensive and bright paints in their works.
– A few different art styles might be mixed in one picture.
– The depiction of objects was usually not realistic.
– One of the main features of the style is symmetry.