Art Deco

Art Deco was a visual arts design style which was very influential when it first emerged during World War I in France. The style didn't begin to flourish until the 1920s-1940s and then its popularity started to deteriorate after World War II. Art Deco is a combination of styles which are the traditional craft motifs with Machine Age imagery and materials. 

Characteristics of the style includes:

• Rich colours
• Bold geometric shapes
• Lavish ornamentation

Due to the fact that Art Deco emerged after World War I, we then know that the style emerged from the interwar period which was a period of time where technology and rapid industrialisation were transforming the society and culture of the time. At that time, buildings were getting higher, modes of transport such as trains and cars were getting faster, and glamorous and luxurious products were being more demanded which made mass production huge.

Artist such as Hector Guimard, Eugene Grasset, Raoul Lachenal, and Paul Bellot are said to have been to be some of the first people to have influenced the principals of Art Deco. Art Deco includes elements of art such as curves, geometric shapes, vertical lines, symmetry, simplified forms, zigzags, 'sun rays', and the new technique called airbrushing which is combined with the rich colours used within the style. Art Deco was also influenced by Cubism, Constructivism, Functionalism, Modernism, and Futurism. 

Art Deco affected various aspects of design. It was immensely in consumer products such as furniture, textiles, automobiles, jewellery, china, cookware, clocks, and electronic devices such as telephones, jukeboxes, and radios. Art Deco also influenced interior design, architecture, industrial design, graphic arts, fashion, and cinema. 

It seems as though Art Deco might be making an entry once again. The film 'The Great Gatsby' is the most influenced film out. The film is based on life during those days; the set design, poster, music, and poster captured the Art Deco concept that was being portrayed during the time perfectly.