Art Deco Movement

Art Deco:

was an influential visiual arts design style that first appeared in France after the First World War. Deco began to flourish internationally in the 1920s.The style of Art Deco is very distinctive it combines traditional crafts motifs with machine age imagery and materials it is also characterised by rich colours, bold geometric shapes and lavish ornamentation.

ART DECO- ARCHITECTURE 

Art Deco not only influenced the architecture of most American cities but had an impact on the fashion, art, and furniture too. Art Deco was essential to Americans they embraced it as a refreshing change from the eclectic and revivalist sensibilities that preceded it. A lot of buildings was embellished with hard-edged, low relief designs such as geometric shapes, including chevrons and ziggurats and also floral and sunrise patterns. 

ART DECO- FASHION

It all started in the 1920's when women were given the freedom to work for the first time to fill employment void created when men went off to war. 

During the 1920's women started rebelling against tradition they no longer wanted to be incolved with Victorian values and wanted to do everything to distance themselves from the feminine image. Alternatively, Art Deco fashion relied heavily on beautifully textured richly dyed fabrics that lent depth to the simple angular lines of the dresses. These dresses relied more upon simple shapes combined with the bold colours and textures to the depth beauty and overall effect of the fashion scene. 

ART DECO- FURNITURE

Jacques-Emile Ruhlmann, Furniture and interior designer and other furniture designers specialised in furniture made of rich, exotic woods, desingers would also finaih off most of their furnitures with a high-gloss lacquer this gave furniture a very rich and sleek look, using Lacquer was known to be a typical art deco style. 

However, leather furniture was also very popular in the 20's it was mainly used for arm chairs and sofas , the typical leather colour was black, brown and tan , but some leathers was also dyed in bold Art Deco colours such as cherry red and tangerine orange, these colours reflected on the overall cheerful spirit of the Art Deco times. 

ART DECO- GRAPHIC DESIGN

Influential designer: A.M. Cassandre commercial poster artist, and typeface designer was the most influential designer of the Art Deco stages. Cassandre's advertisements helped define the Art Deco look. His first poster design was for "The woodcutter" department store was 12 feet wide, his airbrushed ray bans motif became a major influence on the look of Art Deco graphics

When desinging Cassandre often reduced his subjects to silhouettes and geometric symbols and shapes.