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Art Deco
Book by Kim, Young Mi
96 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 1997
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November 1, 2022
Young Mi Kim's Art Deco offers a quick tour of the style, focusing mostly on architecture and interior design.
Kim writes that art deco often expresses a confidence in progress through technology. This is both the style's strength and its weakness. The boldness of the Chrysler building works, imho, as do many car designs. But the use of bright metal, such as we might associate with a movie theatre's interior, is too garish for my taste (unless I'm in a movie theatre). If we look at a Longines sector dial today, the metallic silver face looks awful, though if the design is softened, such as in the Longines Calatrava sector dial from the 1930s, the style works nicely.
Art Deco's emphasis on stylized designs works best at night, which is not surprising given its association with cinema and hotel lobbies. Although Kim offers some photos of interiors in the day that aspire to offer warmth, I can't imagine anything worse than getting dumped in a room furnished with these principles in mind. In that context, art deco's designs are revealed as cold, austere, and, ultimately, ridiculous--I should admit I don't care for tropical art deco, either.
I wonder if, aside from the Chrysler Building, art deco's greatest achievements have mostly been in Batman cartoons and video games like the Arkham series. As far as I'm concerned, in art deco world, the clock should always be approaching the elongated numerals that mark midnight.
Kim writes that art deco often expresses a confidence in progress through technology. This is both the style's strength and its weakness. The boldness of the Chrysler building works, imho, as do many car designs. But the use of bright metal, such as we might associate with a movie theatre's interior, is too garish for my taste (unless I'm in a movie theatre). If we look at a Longines sector dial today, the metallic silver face looks awful, though if the design is softened, such as in the Longines Calatrava sector dial from the 1930s, the style works nicely.
Art Deco's emphasis on stylized designs works best at night, which is not surprising given its association with cinema and hotel lobbies. Although Kim offers some photos of interiors in the day that aspire to offer warmth, I can't imagine anything worse than getting dumped in a room furnished with these principles in mind. In that context, art deco's designs are revealed as cold, austere, and, ultimately, ridiculous--I should admit I don't care for tropical art deco, either.
I wonder if, aside from the Chrysler Building, art deco's greatest achievements have mostly been in Batman cartoons and video games like the Arkham series. As far as I'm concerned, in art deco world, the clock should always be approaching the elongated numerals that mark midnight.
Displaying 1 of 1 review