Art Deco

This art movement originated in the 1920’s in France, with the name Art Deco evolved from the “Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes”; an exhibition held in Paris in 1925, which was dedicated for modern decorative arts to be displayed. It had different designs from different places, and it was the first phase of Art Deco, as it was the first exhibition for this style.

The Exhibition Poster

The designs of Art Deco represented modernism developed into fashion with the products being both individually crafted luxury items and mass-produced goods. The aim of this movement was to create a sleek and antitraditional elegance that signify abundance and composure.

Features of the style are: clean shapes; with a smooth look, geometric ornaments or stylized from representational forms, and as materials used by the style were: expensive materials which had man-made substances in them together with those natural materials. Such materials included were: Bakelite plastics, vita-glass, ferroconcrete, jade, silver, ivory, obsidian, chrome and rock crystal. Even for machine-made objects, Art Deco reflected admiration for the innovation of the machine and for the built-in design qualities of it. Some examples of this; planarity, symmetry, relative simplicity and unvaried repetition of elements.

Art Deco was influenced by other movements such as: Art Nouveau, Cubism, Bauhaus and Russian Ballet Company (Ballets Russes). Its decorative ideas came from American Indian, Egyptian, and early classical sources as well as from nature. The characteristics concepts included in Art Deco were; abstract forms of: nude female figures, animals, foliage and sun rays.

A number of designers in different areas used to design individually crafted or limited-edition items. Some of these designers (one from each area):

Furniture Designer.

Maurice Dufrene: Born in France in 1876 and died in 1955. Since he was young he used to collect scrap pieces of wood, fabric and cardboard from the wholesale commodities business of his father and used to work his own creations. By time he learned how to decorate with marquetry floral medallions in boxwood ebony and ivory after attending to Ecola Boulle (school).

Maurice Dufrene

Maurice Dufrene's work

Architect Designer.

Eliel Saarinen: Born in Finland in 1873 and died in 1950. Before he moved to the US where his architectures could been notable for his influence on modern architecture particularly on skyscraper and church design, he was widely known in Europe and also being the foremost architect of his generation in Finland for his work.

Eliel Saarinen

Eliel Saarinen's work

Metalsmith:

Jean Puiforcat: He was born in France in 1897, and died in 1945. He was a sculptor but he used to work on metal work.

Jean Puiforcat

Jean Puiforcat's work

Glass and Jewelry Designer:

Rene Lalique: Born in France in 1860 and died in 1945. He had an important contribution in Art Nouveau with his designs in both jewellery and glass during the beginning of the 20^th century.

Rene Lalique

Rene Lalique's work

Fashion Designer:

Erte: Born in Russia in 1892 and died in 1990. He used to design dresses and accessories for women, he also used to design costumes sets for dramatic productions, opera and ballet shows.

Erte

Erte's work

Jewellery Artist:

H.G. Murphy: Born in Kent (England) in 1884 and died in 1939. Since he was young he already had an interest in jewellery and when he got a bit older he was offered an apprenticeship by a jewellery designer where he spent some time working for this designer until he set up his own workshop. He started to work in silver but after some time he started to work with gold and with expensive gems.

H.G Murphy

H.G Murphy's work

Sculptor:

Demetre Chiparus: Born in 1886 and died in 1947. He was a Romanian sculptor who created bronze ivory sculptures which were inspired by Russian dancers from Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes.

Demetre Chiparus

Then there’s the fashion designer Paul Poiret and the graphic artist Edward McKnight Kauffer whose work reached a larger audience than the others.

Paul Poiret

Edward McKnight Kauffer

This art movement wasn’t being used anymore/wasn’t popular as before in most places during the World War II (1939-1945), but in the late 1960s the interest in Art Deco continued again. In today’s century (21^st) Art Deco’s inspirations continued in areas such as: decorative art, fashion and jewellery design.

Graphic Design Examples:

Art Deco Style Poster and Cover

Britannica, 12^th December 2014, Art Deco (online):-http://www.britannica.com/art/Art-Deco (Accessed 28th November 2015)

Vam, 27^th March-20 July 2003, Art Exhibition in Paris 1925 (online):-http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/the-1925-paris-exhibition/ (Accessed 28th November 2015)

Art Deco Designers (blog), 9^th October 2009, Maurice Dufrene (online):- http://art-deco-designers.blogspot.com.mt/2009/10/maurice-dufrene.html (Accessed 28th November 2015)

Britannica, n.d, Eliel Saarinen (online):- http://www.britannica.com/biography/Eliel-Saarinen (Accessed 28th November 2015)

Artcyclopedia, n.d, Jean Puiforcat (online):- http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/puiforcat_jean.html (Accessed 28th November 2015)

Britannica, n.d, Rene Lalique (online):- http://www.britannica.com/biography/Rene-Lalique (Accessed 29th November 2015)

Britannica, n.d, Erte (online):- http://www.britannica.com/biography/Erte (Accessed 29th November 2015)

Favourite Collectables, 21^st January 2012, H.G Murphy (online):- http://www.favouritecollectables.com/a-short-history-of-jewellery-designer-henry-george-murphy/ (Accessed 29th November 2015)

Vsemart, n.d, Demetre Chiparus (online):- http://vsemart.com/art-deco-era-sculptor-demetre-chiparus/ (Accessed 29th November 2015)