Art Deco Style Analysis

Introduction

In this essay, I plan to discuss the history and appearance of the Art Deco style. I will discuss my analysis of the work of Adolphe Mouron Cassandre, and present an argument as to why I think his graphic design should be considered as Art Deco.

Main Body

Firstly, I will discuss the history of the Art Deco style, and then link in its appearance throughout.

Art Deco, which is also known as Moderne style, began across the spectrum of visual arts: varying from painting, architecture and sculpture to decorative and graphic forms of art that originated in the 1920s and developed into a major style in western Europe and the United States during the 1930s. (Glennon, 2017) The “Art Deco” name was derived from the Exposition Internationale

(The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 1998) The Art Deco style is characterized by trapezoidal, zigzagged, and triangular shapes, chevron patterns, stepped forms, sweeping curves and sunburst motifs - the latter being visible in a number of separate applications, including: shoes, car radiator grilles, the Radio City Music Hall auditorium, and the spire of the William van Alen Chrysler Building (1928-30) in New York. (http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/art-deco.htm) (author unknown, date unknown)

Among the impressionable influences on the style Art Deco were Art Nouveau, the Bauhaus, Cubism, and Serge Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. The decorative ideas originated from Egyptian, American, and early classical sources and ideas were also taken from nature. (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica, 1998) Distinctive concepts included nude female figures, animals, and sun rays, all in abstract forms. (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica,

The movement in the wheels is also suggested by the thin white lines which are all also pointing towards the vanishing point. (Harte, 2013)

Conclusion

I think Cassandres graphic design should be considered as part of Art Deco, as I think he uses a vast multitude of design techniques from this style in his designs. This is particularly evident in “Nord Express”.

Here in (Fig.2) we can see the use of mechanical like structures, including very geometric shapes which are repeated like circles etc. for the wheels, and also we can see the use very mechanical lines which are used to add depth to the piece. The simplicity used in the piece also links it to Art Deco as this was a key quality of Art Deco design. He also uses very strong blocks of colours and keeps the piece looking machine orientated with the crisp lines which are very clear and