Art Deco and Art Moderne Notes

Streamlining and Mass Media: Art Deco and Art Moderne

Introduction

  • 1920s: Art Deco
    • Developed in Paris in the early 1900s.
    • By 1925, it became an international design movement.
    • Its spread was facilitated by the rise of mass media and early consumer culture in the USA.
  • 1930s-1940s: Art Moderne/Streamline Modern
    • Developed primarily in the USA as a simplified adaptation of Art Deco.
    • Signaled a new era of American design and manufacturing.
    • Associated with consumer culture and the acceleration of consumption through marketing.

Art Deco

  • Glamorous, eclectic, and cosmopolitan aesthetic.

Art Deco and the Rise of Mass Media

  • Definition of mass media: Three subgroups (unspecified in the transcript).
  • Connection between Art Deco and entertainment industries (unspecified in the transcript).

Art Deco and Global Influences

  • Global influences and appetites for the exotic, alluring, and unknown:
    • Ballet Russes, 1909:
      • Paris ballet with global influences.
      • Costumes designed by Erté that were largely insensitive and based in stereotypes
    • Avant-garde art movements:
      • Expressionism & Fauvism (emphasis on color and emotion).
      • Cubism and Futurism (sharp angles and lines).
    • African Art and Design:
      • Exhibitions of African artifacts and design, often imports from colonization, representing cultural appropriation.
    • Ancient Egypt:
      • Discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1923.
      • Use of papyrus and lotus motifs in fashion, interiors, and architecture.
      • Flapper girl fashion, including serpent armbands, headbands, and jewelry.
    • Native North American Art:
      • Patterns in textiles and pottery.

Art Deco Key Characteristics

  • A modern style that borrowed from earlier precedents, where aesthetics and ornamentation create a total unity.
  • Captivated wide audiences through early mass media.
  • Spread through film, theatre, fashion, jewelry, architecture, and furniture.
  • Value:
    • Striking light and dark contrasts.
    • Reflective gold surfaces.
    • Soft pastels.
  • Pattern:
    • Symmetrical, ornamental, rich in contrast and texture.
  • Natural Motifs:
    • Stylized botanicals.
    • Egyptian motifs (papyrus and lotus).
    • Sun rays and Sunbursts.
  • Geometric Motifs:
    • Chevrons, diamonds, triangles.
    • Parallel lines, striped bands, diagonal lines, zig-zags.

Art Deco Summary

  • Social, political, and economic context:
    • WWI and WWII
      • Art Deco began in Europe and later flourished in the USA.
      • The USA was less impacted by the wars, making it fertile ground for the development of modern art, architecture, design, and mass media.
  • Rise of Mass Media:
    • The glamour of Art Deco was popularized through early mass media in the USA and disseminated through film, theatre, and fashion.
    • The cosmopolitan character of Art Deco embraced extravagance and glamour, in contrast to other modernist movements (International Style).

Art Moderne (Streamline Moderne)

  • Seamless, sleek, and aerodynamic aesthetic.

WWI and WWII

  • The USA was physically intact after WWI, unlike the devastation in Europe.
  • Wartime factories were adapted for the civilian consumer economy.
  • Production capabilities exceeded Europe, positioning the USA as a leader in consumer products.
  • New household appliances and designs: washing machines, vacuums, radios.
  • New domestic market audience: (unspecified in transcript).
  • Marketing and design approaches: (unspecified in transcript).

Planned Obsolescence

  • Definition:
    • Coined after WWII.
    • Influenced by the decline in consumerism during the Great Depression (1930s).
    • Industry's goal to produce consumer items that will be replaced before their utility expires.
  • How:
    • Rapid stylistic updates shorten product lifespans to promote replacement by new models, leading to Streamline Moderne.

Streamline Moderne

  • Definition:
    • Streamlined design uses bulbous forms, such as the teardrop shape from aerodynamics, and applies it to immobile objects (appliances, furniture, interiors).
    • Forms and textures evoke a sense of sleekness, speed, and progress due to their connection with automobiles, trains, and airplanes.
    • Products appear to be enclosed in a smooth, seamless shell from a single piece of material (metal or plastic).
    • Characterized by glossy surfaces and rounded edges where all working components are hidden (hinges, screws, joints, etc.).
  • In the 1930s, consumerism slowed down, leading to simpler designs made with less expensive materials, including Vitrolite (colored glass) and Bakelite (colored plastic).
  • Sleeker, non-porous designs were thought to be germ-free and impervious to dirt and grime.
  • To streamline a product meant to enclose it with a hard new shell, which complimented systems of planned obsolescence.

Raymond Loewy (1893-1986)

  • Championed the Art Moderne Style using a streamlined sensibility.
  • Industrial engineer and designer.
  • Worked on locomotives, buses, aerospace technology.
  • Developed kitchen appliances, interiors, and furnishings.

Advertising Through Mass Media

  • Mass marketing was key in maintaining cycles of production and consumption.
  • Advertising encouraged consumer culture and the acceleration of consumption.
  • The interior domestic spaces of the kitchen and bathroom were impacted by new appliances, fixtures, and built-in cabinetry with sleek surfaces designed to keep the home hygienic and tidy.

Organization of (Women’s) Domestic Spaces

  • Impacted the interior design of kitchens, bathrooms and other domestic spaces.

Art Moderne Key Characteristics

  • A simplification of Art Deco style with geometric forms, reduced ornamentation, and modern materials.
  • Main influences:
    • The aesthetics of speed as derived from cars, planes, and trains.
    • The sleek aerodynamic forms of industrial design.
  • Textures:
    • Sleek, smooth, glossy, non-porous.
  • Forms:
    • Curved, bulbous, teardrop, rounded edges, seamless encasings.
  • Natural and geometric motifs:
    • Minimal ornament to preserve the machine aesthetic.

Art Moderne Summary

  • Social, political, and economic context:
    • The Great Depression (1929-1939)
      • Slowed down consumerism.
      • Contributed to a quieting down of the glamour of Art Deco.
      • Led to planned obsolescence and mass marketing to encourage consumption.
  • Technological Progress in the USA:
    • Technology inspired a streamlined design aesthetic seen in locomotives, planes, and automobiles.
    • The machine aesthetic was viewed as modern, scientific, and progressive.