The development of Art Deco - Essay Example

WHAT IS ART DECO AND HOW DID IT DEVELOP goes here] [Your goes here] [Due the paper] What Is Art Deco And How Did ItDevelop? According to Chapple, the word, ‘art deco’ originates from the Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs Industriels et Modernes which was held in Paris in 19251. The exposition played a key role in promoting art deco architecture in Europian region of the world. Art deco dates back to the old days of Egyptian tombs2. In particular, it can be said that in 1920s, the discovery of King Tuts tomb formed the beginning of this attractive art style. The artists of that time added stark lines, zig-zag architectural tones, and bold colors to different objects that were present inside the tomb. The purpose mainly was to give a new look to the already placed objects and make the tomb more attractive for the kings, as well as for the visitors. People of that time were greatly impressed by the work. They liked the electric touch given to the objects, as well as the combination of lines and bold colors. The style became a symbol of modern art and people started adding this style to their artworks, architectures, and to daily wearable. The combination of sharp lines and bold colors became the main elements of art deco3. Geometric design, exotic motifs, and addition of colors gave an inspiring look to the overall architectures developed in the twentieth century. According to a website, Oaktown Art, “Art Deco was an international design movement popular in the 1920′s and 30′s, focused on themes of luxury, technology, modernization, and craftsmanship”4. Art deco can be termed as an art movement that originated from Paris and within a span of very short time, it spread to both European and American regions. Art deco was basically an outcome of the earlier Art Nouveau movement5. That movement was facing popularity decline by the end of the nineteenth century and some new modifications appeared necessary to keep art growing and flourishing. That was the reason why artists felt the need of adding some new themes to existing art. The modifications gained a level of acceptance and fame and within no time, art deco became one of the main trends related to the world of art. Art deco is similar to its previous form, Art Nouveau, in a sense that it also focuses on the significance of artisan craftsmanship. Art deco kept the same theme of Art Nouveau featuring curves, arcs, and natural motifs of flora and fauna6. Although Art Deco has many features similar to Art Nouveau, but it is known as a modern form of art blended with the use of attractive colors schemes and sharps lines and edges. French artists are considered as the founders of Art Deco because they were the ones who started giving a new shape and look to exiting objects. The aim was to renovate the existing objects and make them, more attractive and appealing as compared to before. French artists are also known the founders of the modern art because of their contribution to the world of art during the early decades of the twentieth century. They started modernizing the art in 1915 but did not expose it at that time because of the First World War. They delayed exposition until the end of the war because it was not unlikely at that time that the overall environment of the world will affect the historical influences to the presented designs...7 Artist and designers of the early twentieth century had a strong interest in traveling all around the world; they had a good knowledge of different cultures existing in the world at that time. They used their knowledge to integrate primitive arts and exotic cultures into newly formed themes of art8. They incorporated and mixed the key elements of different cultures into their artworks and came up with a wide range of new art themes which mainly demonstrated creativity, technology, and craftsmanship. The starting point of Art Deco was the renovation of tombs and other related places. It got the world-wide acceptance and artists and designers began to use this art theme in creating new buildings. Some main examples of the use of Art Deco in architectural designing include Chrysler Building, Golden Gate Bridge, and the Empire State Building which were built during the peak era of Art Deco. All of these buildings are located in the United States which shows the way Art deco got acceptance and expanded in the whole world within the period of just ten years. Another great example of the use Art Deco was the World Trade Centre which was damaged as the result of the terrorist attacks. Art Deco was not limited only to the construction of buildings and fashion; rather it influenced almost all areas of design some of which included graphic arts, paintings, and interior designing. According to MacDonald, “At the time the style was seen as innovative, using materials such as stainless steel and Bakelite, as well as elegant and modern”9. Hotels, theater halls, cinemas, universities, and almost every other building built in the twentieth century in Europe and America reflect the concept of Art Deco. Elegance, style, and glamour were some of the main features of Art Deco which played a key role in popularizing this modern form of art in the whole world. Art Deco kept on developing in the later decades and with the passage of time, artists and architects started incorporating the use of chromic surfaces, aerodynamic styling, rounded corners, and geometric designs in creating artworks, buildings, automobiles, and many other objects. According to MacDonald, “Its use of geometric shapes, usually symmetrical, offered architects, designers, and artists a whole new way of designing and creating art deco pieces”10. Although it faced a decline in the late 1930s, it reemerged as a strong art style in 1960s and continued giving modern and elegant looks to the buildings designed and created in different parts of the world. Art Deco style is also a popular art theme even today and continues to inspire and influence the artistic thoughts of many artists and designers of the present world. Bibliography Chapple, R., “What is Art Deco?”, About.com [web page] (n.d.) , accessed 24 Jan. 2013. MacDonald, I., “A History Of Art-Deco Architecture”, Ezinearticles.com [web page] (2012) , accessed 24 Jan. 2013. OAKTOWN ART, “What is Art Deco?”, Owktown Art [web page] (2010) , accessed 24 Jan. 2013. Read More