Industrial Design/ Art Deco
Industrial Design
This movement of design was more of a realistic use of furniture that would help advance in a more positive experience. Designers focused on functional versus aesthetic in a sense. The furniture and or objects were in a way a study to understand the problems that recently arose in the decades back then. With that being said it created commercial goals that would appeal to the consumers. This did lead to the Art deco era but was branched from industrial design. Some designers that were involved in industrial design were Gilbert Rohde, Raymond Loewy and Russel Wright. They made designs that were realistically advancing for the future versus aesthetic. Below are some examples of furniture they have designed.
Industrial Style bed, Raymond Loewy
Industrial Style Clock, Gilbert Rohde
American Dinnerware, Russel Wright
Art Deco
This movement comes from Industrial design but focuses on the design process as well. While focusing on the functional part of the furniture the designers wanted to include the attractiveness of the furniture. Which all began in 1925 when there was a world's fair in Paris. It expedited examples of furniture,textiles,accessories and lamps after the post World war one. With that being said, Art Deco originated from France. This era seemed to be more concerned with the fashion oriented details as France is very focused on detail and decorative style. But what does Art Deco really consist of?
Art Deco has many features but the key elements are Chevron shapes,Zig-Zags,Folding screens, Large mirrors and prominent light fixtures. Below is an example of Michel Roux-Spitz work of a dining room in Paris that emphasizes some features of the Art Deco.
Paris, 1925
As for Furniture design, Art Deco focused on Rich materials, Ebony,Zebra Wood with inlays of ivory,tortoise-shell,leather,polished metals, mirrors and glass. Which all reassembled elegant materials to say the least. There were many designers that have contributed to this movement but they all had their own take on Art deco. Jean Deco was one designer that focused on Geometric and cubist style. Mainly focusing on the original style with a twist. He created pieces out of lacquer. He took the functionalist part from Industrial design and took a spin with Art deco to create these pieces below.
Lacquered sideboard with stone top
Lacquered Screen
As Jean Deco took a different perspective on Art deco there were many opportunities to experiment with this style. Below are a wide variety of chairs that designers have created.
Cube Chair, Jean Michel Frank
Jean Stuck with a more minimalist design and focused on the natural elements. He intended his design of furniture to be luxurious as that's a feature that the movement focused on heavily.
Bibendum armchair,Eileen Gray
This chair was another famous chair that was luxurious and elegant. The designer, Ellieen Gray focused on the geometric values and simplistic features that were essential in the Art Deco movement. She strived for Geometric values as well in the designs which she met throughout many of her pieces.
Architecturally Art deco was focused on Sky scrapers with lots of glass windows for hierarchy. One of the most Famous buildings was the Chrysler Building built in 1928. It featured many elements of the Art deco era. I visited this back in high school and remember the building was quite tall. We were able to go to the top and look around.
Above is the Exterior and interior perspective of the Chrysler building.
Fast forward to Art Deco now it's considered very moderdern with the Art Deco essentials. Below are some Residential Design examples.
One step Further:
Sonia Delauney ( 1885-1979)
Sonia was a Ukrainian born French artist. She created paintings in the Art Deco era that were geometric and colorful. Which I think really emphasized the expressionism part of Art Deco. She also had used cubist themes that were very common which were Zig-Zags,stripes and plaids. I think she plays a very important role in this Era as she focused on the aspect of fashion with textures , geometric values and exploration in her paintings to bring the movement to life with her designs.
Other Sources:
Art deco Explained
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHF7vnbZD8Q
Sonia Delauney Bio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wApOC53x6o
Art Deco furniture Explained
Kahlan,
ReplyDeleteYou did a good job at explaining the Art Deco period based on using different furniture and interior pieces. You had a very big variety of the different designers during this time. With that said, the images you provided were very effective and gave a visual explanation on how each designer had a different take on this movement. I liked the detail in explaining the attributes on Art Deco holds and relating it to todays applications. I thought that the Chrysler building is a very good exterior and interior explanation of this era as well.
Kahlan, I liked how you were explained the different types of the Art Deco design. You did a nice job explaining the time line of the Art Deco and Industrial design, while also adding great detail to the designs and characteristic of each design. You also went into great detail with your "one step further" section on Sonia Delauney and how you explained her background and what she focused on as a designer
ReplyDeleteKaylan this Blog entry was informative and well done. You started with a wonderful description and excellent images of Industrial design. I had never seen the Industrial bed by Loewy. I appreciated how you led us through the Art Deco period. You showed us great examples of furnishings, interiors, architecture, and modern applications. Ending your post with a look at Sonia Delauney was perfect.
ReplyDeleteTotal Points: 50/50