Definition
Art Deco, n.
“A style of design (in textiles, jewellery, ceramics, furniture, architecture, etc.) first popular in the 1920s and 1930s, and characterized by precise and strongly delineated geometric shapes and bold colour contrasts.”
Overview
“Snub-nosed U.S. Ford cars, ugly snub-nosed police defence revolvers. Popular dog was the bull mastiff. It looked like the world being manufactured.” (Hillier, 9).
Art Deco is a global art style that began in the early 20th century and flourished between the two world wars. The style reached all areas of art from architecture, painting, sculpture, industrial and product design, and graphic arts. Its influence can be found in train stations, skyscrapers, ocean liners, propaganda posters, teapots, and typography. While the style was not guided by a philosophy or manifesto, as a whole, it celebrated the technological advances, mass production, and rise of consumerism in the early 20th century with the use of symmetry, geometry, rectilinear compositions, streamlined forms, and bold colors. The artwork produced during this time married decoration and function and exuded luxury, opulence, and modernity.