Art Deco

The Art Deco Movement

Art déco was a style in art used in architecture, painting, graphics and in the interior design, spread in the years of 1920-1940.
The name comes from French, art décoratif;decorative art. Deco style, was also known under many different names such as: style 1925, modernisms style, ultramodern style, twenties style, jazz styles, zig-zag moderne.
Deco style found its influences in different design movements such as Art Nouvau or Cubism where the nature motifs and excessive ornamentation popular from Secession were kept, but discarded its flowing organic shapes and pastels for more symmetrical, expensive materials. The movement was known to be accesible mostly for the wealthy as the materials used were rare and expensive.
Geometrically stylized and functional objects in the Deco style have been rarely mass-produced, unlike other artistic movements, Deco had usually a character of the refined, elegant works of art, made from natural, often of expensive materials such as silver, ivory, linked sometimes with artificial and modern materials like Bakelite or chromed steel, such materials were affordable only for the elite.
In decorative art, Deco designers reached for Egyptian motifs in combination with classical, geometrical forms, often showing acts of women, animals, leaves and rays of sunshine.
Throughout the early twenties, first world war, second and years after, Deco Movement had was widely seen around the globe.
Examples of Deco architecture stand until this day and are a magnificent example of the perfectionsim that was achieved by combining functionality and artists skill of creating beautifully decorated interior, furniture or building.

This design movement has perticularly interested me because of its simple, yet very eye catching style, which I think, because of so many influences Deco style has taken, including: Art Nouvau’s ornate decorations, but limited to simple geometry and also German Modernism functionality.
I have ecountered Deco for the very first time during gameplay of the game Bioshock, which took a lot of influence from this movement, especially the architecture as well as interior design such as chairs, tables, walls and bar counters.