ART DECO
The History in
the United States
and in New York City
Martina Parisi
Sara Vidussi
Elisa Zamparutti
Lorena Zoto
cl. 5 Ae
What is Art Deco?
Art Deco is an eclectic artistic and
design style which had its origins in
Paris in the first decades of the XX
century.
It was originated in the 1920s and
continued to be employed until after
World War II.
Detail of Paris’ underground
The term “Art Deco”
first saw wide
use after an exhibition
in 1966, referring to
the 1925 Exposition Internationale
des Arts Décoratifs
et Industriels Modernes.
Where we can find it?
DECORATIVE ARTS
fashion,
jewellery and
interior design
DESIGN
architecture
and industrial
design
VISUAL ARTS
painting,
graphic arts
and film
Features
Its popularity peaked in Europe
during the Roaring Twenties and
continued strongly in the United
States through the 1930s.
Although many design movements
have political or philosophical
roots or intentions, Art Deco was
purely decorative and had a profound
influence on many later artistic movements,
such as Memphis and Pop art.
Art Deco in the USA
Lots of buildings
from 1920 to 1939
are within the
Art Deco tradition.
Some examples in
New York,
Chicago, Los Angeles
and in California.
Miami Beach, Florida
Florida has got a large collection of art-deco
buildings, with hotels and apartment houses
from 1920s to 1940s.
The Architectural Historic District was listed
on the National Register of Historic Places;
all the buildings have been restored and
painted in their original pastel colours.
Texas
Houston City Hall
Air Terminal Museum
Kansas City
The Kansas City Power and Light Building.
This building is the main example of the
Great Depression and its effect in Art Deco
construction.
Municipal Auditorium
Jackson
County
Courthouse
Kansas City City Hall
Cincinnati
The Cincinnati Union Terminal is an Art Deco
style passenger railroad station that, after the
decline of the railroad travel, was converted into
the Cincinnati Museum Center.
This town is also home of the Carew Tower
which is an Art Deco skyscraper built in 1931.
New Jersey
Its most important building is the Jersey City
Medical Center.
California
One of the surviving examples of the Art
Deco style is the RMS Queen Mary, which is
currently moored in retirement in Long
Beach as a floating museum and hotel.
Reminder of the past glory of the once
numerous trans-Atlantic ocean liners of the
Art Deco period.
General features
Art Deco has been influenced in part
by movements such as Cubism,
Russian Constructivism and Italian Futurism
which are all evident in Art Deco decorative arts.
Cubism
Russian Constructivism
Italian Futurism
Art Deco was also influenced by nature and historical monuments.
For this reasons, we can find references to African,
Greek and Egyptian art, the Ziggurat (babylonian pyramid), tropical leaves, solar jets, cristals, female shapes (thin and
agile).
Materials and design
Art Deco is characterized by use of
materials such as aluminium, stainless steel,
lacquer, Bakelite, Chrome and inlaid wood.
Exotic materials such as sharkskin
and zebra skin were also in evidence.
The bold use of stepped forms and sweeping
curves, chevron patterns, the fountain
and the sunburst motif are typical of Art Deco.
Some of these motifs were ubiquitous:
for example, sunburst motifs were used
in such varied contexts as ladies' shoes,
radiator grilles, the auditorium of the
Radio City Music Hall and the spire of
the Chrysler Building.
Some examples
American standard (radiator) building
Date: 1923-1924
Style: ART DECO
Type: Office-Building
The black brickwork on the facade was chosen to lessen the visual
contrast between the walls and the windows.
The Gothic-style pinnacles and terra-cotta friezes on the edges of
the setbacks are coated with gold.
The base is clad in bronze plating and back granite. There are
carved allegories, symbolizing the transformation of matter into
energy,quite appropriate for a heater company.
The entrance lobby is decorated with black marble and mirrors.
Chanin building
Date: 1927-1929
Style: ART DECO
Type: Office building
The steel frame is clad in
buff brick and terra-cotta.
The facade illustrates the introducion of colored glass,
stone and metal on the exterior of tall buildings.
Material such as bronze, Belgian marble and
terra-cotta are used in an inventive way.
Bronze gate leading to Irwin Chanin's
offices, designed with symbolic ornament representing individual aspects of the
greatness of New York City.
Stylized figure that
represents some aspect
of either the intellectual
or the physical life.
Web References
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www.retropolis.net
www.foxnews.com
www.1920-30.com
www.nyc-architecture.com