The Art Deco movement, which received its official name at the 1925 International Exhibition of Decorative Arts Internationale des Arts Decoratifs Industriels et Modernes in Paris, was born in America and Western Europe. Initially, it represented a certain offshoot of Art Nouveau – a movement that emerged as a contrast to the art of the past.
The term “streamlined Art Nouveau” often referred to forms similar to the silhouettes of airplanes, cars and ships. At the end of the twentieth century Art Deco resolutely competed with constructivism, characterized by strict utilitarian components and cold aesthetic, not burdened with excessive decoration.
As a result, the described style can be called the final stage of the art of the Art Nouveau period, or the transition from it to the post-war culture of the twenties – the time of bold experiments and inseparable commonality. Dictating simplicity and geometricity, this design opened up mass production of affordable furniture.
Features
The basic components of Art Deco:
- The walls act as an unobtrusive backdrop;
- the interior is based on a contrast of pastel and dark colors;
- constructions made of iron and glass are used;
- Oriental and African ornaments are present, as well as unique items.
Art Deco is a kind of unity of asymmetry and straightforwardness. In the interior, created in accordance with it, you can find sculptures, depicting people in expressive poses and the most saturated, almost screaming colors. Expensive materials of natural origin are often used in the decoration. The luxury is set by ivory, stingray leather, snakes, crocodiles and other animals.
Daring, original combination of exoticism of sultry India, archaic Egypt, primitive Africa and abstract motifs are permanently imprinted in the memory of ordinary people. In this design is also possible the presence of chrome handles on the refined wooden furniture, bronze and ceramic products, bakelite, mother of pearl and diamonds.
Not the last place in the Art Deco interior is taken by fabrics. Rooms can be decorated with shiny satin and silk, as well as chic velvet. As a complement, admirers of the style use mirrors of angular shapes and elegant crystal vases.
Development
The triumphant return of the style to the Old World was in the nineties. Having undergone ideological changes and incorporating the latest technical achievements, it became a symbol of wealth and screaming luxury. The image of the art deco interior is based on human vanity and the demonstration of capital. But at the same time, this style is not devoid of graceful lightness and is a reminder of the ideals of a bygone era.
Today this style is experiencing a new round of popularity. It is increasingly finding itself in contemporary painting, architecture, construction, car design, fashion and other areas of public life. Many prestigious houses, expensive hotels, restaurants, lounges and apartments are difficult to imagine without this elite decoration.