Art Deco Overview and Principles

Art Deco Overview

• Art Deco refers to popular geometric works from the 1920s and 1930s.
• Art Deco design emphasizes unity between art and industry.
• Functional objects, mass-produced, and streamlined for mass consumption characterized the movement.
• It blends machine aesthetics with a desire for decorative elements.

Art Deco Design Principles

• Designs often reduced subject matter to pure iconographic symbols.
• Severe geometry was sometimes softened by smoke and fading reflections in artistic depictions.
• Furniture styles were simple, elegant, and often incorporating exotic elements.
• Decoration was a key element of Art Deco style.

Specific Art Deco Examples

• L'Atlantique poster: A poster by A.M. Cassandre, promoting a ship.
• North Star poster: Designed by A.M. Cassandre (1927). A poster for a Paris to Amsterdam night train.
• Le Corbusier's 1928 Tube Steel chairs: A notable example of a chair design using tube steel.
• Brno Chair: Created by Ludwig Mies Van der Rohe, utilizing flat steel.
• Tubular Steel chair: A chair design utilizing tubular steel framework.
• MR Stuhl (chair): Designed by Mies van der Rohe and manufactured by Jos. Müller. Materials included nickel-plated or chrome-plated steel.
• Alvar Aalto's 1937 glass vase: Demonstrating unique and distinct form and structure.
• "Arabesque" table: Created by Carlo Mollino. Often showcases specific artistic traits of the period.
• Seconda chair: A design by Mario Botta.