Art Deco

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Art Deco
GCSE Textiles Exam Revision Spring/Summer 2011
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What is Art Deco?

• Taking its name from the Paris Exposition
  Internationale des Arts Decoratifs of 1925, Art
  Deco is a style associated with the late 1920s
  and early 1930s with emphasis on richly-coloured
  and geometric pattern, new materials and styles
  and a decorative approach to modernism.

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Style . . .

• geometric and angular shapes
• chrome, glass, shiny fabrics, mirrors and mirror
  tiles
• stylised images of aeroplanes, cars, cruise
  liners, skyscrapers
• nature motifs - shells, sunrises, flowers
• theatrical contrasts - highly polished wood and
  glossy black lacquer mixed with satin and furs

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Look at these curved and geometric patterns based
on Art Deco. Look at the use of bold colour.
Tour task is to design an A3pattern that could be
printed onto fabric. Remember, you can use
curved and geometric examples together on your
design.
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Influences . . .

• art nouveau - deco kept the nature motifs of its
  predecessor but discarded its flowing organic
  shapes and pastels for bolder materials and
  colours such as chrome and black
• cubism -painters such as Picasso were
  experimenting with space, angles and geometry
• early Hollywood - the glamorous world of the
  silver screen filtered through to design using
  shiny fabrics, subdued lighting, and mirrors.
  Cocktail cabinets and smoking paraphernalia
  became highly fashionable

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The names . . .

• Rennie Mackintosh
• Eileen Gray - furniture
• Raymond Templier - jewellery
• Clarice Cliff - china
• René Lalique - glass and jewellery
• Erté
• William Moorcroft
• Susie Cooper
• Charlotte Rhead

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Rennie Mackintosh
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Eileen Gray - furniture
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Raymond Templier - jewellery
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Clarice Cliff - china
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René Lalique - glass and jewellery
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Erté
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William Moorcroft
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Susie Cooper
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Charlotte Rhead
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Get the look . . .

• Furniture - choose strong, streamlined shapes for
  furniture and in single pieces rather than
  suites.
• Fabrics - stick to plain or geometric fabrics and
  add highlights with cushions also in one solid
  block of colour.
• Rugs - floors would have been overlaid with a
  large rug in geometric patterns. These were often
  handmade by artists such as Duncan Grant (of
  Bloomsbury Group fame).
• Colour - halls suit bold colour schemes such as
  silver, black, chrome, yellow and red. Creams,
  greens and beige, or oyster and eau-de-nil suit
  living rooms and bedrooms.
• Design - the stepped profile is the epitome of
  the art deco shape, also look for zigzags,
  chevrons and lightning bolts.

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Where to see it . . .

• Hoover factory, Middlesex
• The Savoy, London
• Burgh Island Hotel, Bigbury-on-Sea, Devon
• Eltham Palace, London
• Miami Beach, Florida

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Hoover Factory, Middlesex
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The Savoy, London
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Burgh Island Hotel, Bigbury-on-Sea, Devon
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Eltham Place, London
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Miami Beach, Florida
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Further reading . . .

• Art Deco Interiors Decoration and Design
  Classics of the 1920s and 1930s by Patricia Bayer
  (Thames Hudson)
• Art Deco Flights of Fancy by Susan A Sternau
  (Tiger Books International)
• The Antiques Checklist Art Deco by Eric Knowles
  (Mitchell Beazley)