Art DecoGCSE Textiles Exam Revision

Spring/Summer 2011

What is Art Deco?

Taking its name from the Paris Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs of 1925, Art Deco is a style associated with the late 1920s and early 1930s with emphasis on richly-coloured and geometric pattern, new materials and styles and a decorative approach to modernism.

Style . . .

geometric and angular shapes chrome, glass, shiny fabrics, mirrors

and mirror tiles stylised images of aeroplanes, cars,

cruise liners, skyscrapers nature motifs - shells, sunrises, flowers theatrical contrasts - highly polished

wood and glossy black lacquer mixed with satin and furs

Look at these curved and geometric patterns based on Art Deco. Look at the use of bold colour. Tour task is to design an A3pattern that could be printed onto fabric. Remember, you can use curved and geometric examples together on your design.

Influences . . .

art nouveau - deco kept the nature motifs of its predecessor but discarded its flowing organic shapes and pastels for bolder materials and colours such as chrome and black

cubism -painters such as Picasso were experimenting with space, angles and geometry

early Hollywood - the glamorous world of the silver screen filtered through to design using shiny fabrics, subdued lighting, and mirrors. Cocktail cabinets and smoking paraphernalia became highly fashionable

The names . . .

Rennie Mackintosh Eileen Gray - furniture Raymond Templier - jewellery Clarice Cliff - china René Lalique - glass and jewellery Erté William Moorcroft Susie Cooper Charlotte Rhead

Rennie Mackintosh

Eileen Gray - furniture

Raymond Templier - jewellery

Clarice Cliff - china

René Lalique - glass and jewellery

Erté

William Moorcroft

Susie Cooper

Charlotte Rhead

Get the look . . . Furniture - choose strong, streamlined shapes for

furniture and in single pieces rather than suites. Fabrics - stick to plain or geometric fabrics and add

highlights with cushions also in one solid block of colour.

Rugs - floors would have been overlaid with a large rug in geometric patterns. These were often handmade by artists such as Duncan Grant (of Bloomsbury Group fame).

Colour - halls suit bold colour schemes such as silver, black, chrome, yellow and red. Creams, greens and beige, or oyster and eau-de-nil suit living rooms and bedrooms.

Design - the stepped profile is the epitome of the art deco shape, also look for zigzags, chevrons and lightning bolts.

Where to see it . . .

Hoover factory, Middlesex The Savoy, London Burgh Island Hotel, Bigbury-on-Sea,

Devon Eltham Palace, London Miami Beach, Florida

Further reading . . .

Art Deco Interiors: Decoration and Design Classics of the 1920s and 1930s by Patricia Bayer (Thames & Hudson)

Art Deco: Flights of Fancy by Susan A Sternau (Tiger Books International)

The Antiques Checklist: Art Deco by Eric Knowles (Mitchell Beazley)