Art Deco is an artistic style that originated in Paris in the 20th century. It is an elegant, glamorous, functional and modern style. It developed as a modernist reaction against the Art Nouveau style. Its original purpose was to be beautiful and ornamental. The style is said to reflect the tensions in the cultural politics during the time period. Art Deco affected all areas of design including architecture, industrial design, visual art and film, in all parts of the world. Art Deco is based on angular, symmetric and geometric shapes. Some popular themes included trapezoidal, zigzagged, and jumbled shapes. It is also characterized by the use of materials such as aluminum, stainless steel, lacquer, chrome and inlaid wood. Some of the most popular artists of Art Deco include Tamara de Lempicka, Erte, Rene Lalique and Cassandre. William Van Alen, an architect, is responsible for one of the most famous Art Deco pieces, the Empire State Building.
The Empire State building and the Chrysler building are examples of Art Deco’s influence in architecture. Both buildings contain geometric shapes in symmetrical arrangements.
The following painting demonstrates the ornamental aspect of Art Deco pieces.
Very nice post.
A small addition: Art Deco uses Egyptian decorative themes in the design