Blog #6 Art Deco

 Throughout history, we see a back and forth with design and styles. One style comes out, let’s take the emergence of modernism, and then art deco is the next one because someone somewhere didn’t like the idea of no ornamentation and decoration. Which is the same thing that happened before, from Victorian to arts and crafts, or Art Nouveau to protomodernism. In art deco, there was that same tension between functionalists and decorators. Functionalists valued function, simplicity, and mass production. Whereas decorators valued labor-intensive craftsmanship, and elite market, with elaborate designs. Art deco was largely influenced by fashion oriental styles and art nouveau, meaning it was more decorative. One of the most common patterns became very popular including zigzags and chevron. Light fixtures that complemented modern materials, as well as large mirrors, were elements commonly displayed in this style. 

One Step Further:

One of the popular art deco architects was Michel Roux-Spitz. I especially liked the exterior of his Salon Des Artistes Decorateurs office building. I like the large windows and the way he included different shapes and lines to fill the space. Such as the small little windows, against the large grided square windows and the trapezoids. His furniture designs were very creative as he even emphasized electricity and lighting, without being concerned with functionalism. Bureau de Administrator. 


 Current Applications:

1. In this image below you can see they incorporated a unique wallpaper pattern on the back wall. This created pop and the contrast of the gold and black creates a luxurious feeling. Another art deco element that stood out to me was the picture on the back wall, which seems to reflect some of the African tribal artwork inspiration that was popular. 


2. I chose this bathroom because I think it is so unique, such a statement bathroom. It is modern but still has that art deco style because of the focus on contrast and creative use of line. Another thing this bathroom has that was a popular art deco element was the built-in tubs and showers and this bathroom was a very creative way of doing that.  The color of the bathroom is a subtle pink, with a darker pink on the back wall to show some depth. I think having a bathroom all one color with the contrasting black is such a cool thing that I haven’t really seen a whole lot before.


 3. I chose this stairwell image because it shows patterns and contrasting colors. I have noticed, similar to the way mirrors are used in art deco interior, so is gold, and stainless steel. This creates a lot of reflections off objects, which adds to a sparkly wealthy feeling space. I also like the contrast of geometric lines with the movement of the black staircase. 


Comments

  1. Dezaray,
    I loved reading through your blog! There is just so much to say about Art Deco, but I think you did a great job summarizing the tension that could be seen clearly in this design. I also thought you did a great job at the research you did into the modern applications. Overall, great blog!

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