DECORATIVES ART

by Stephen Escritt, Stephen Escritt

The dominant style in architecture and design of the 1920s and 30s, Art Deco was an exuberant reaction to the austerity of the war years. Characterized by geometric shapes, stylized natural forms and the use of luxurious materials, and inspired by sources ranging from Ancient Egypt to the Ballets Russes, the style rapidly spread from France to Britain, the United States and all over the globe during the 1930s. The fascinating text of this attractive volume charts the various worldwide manifestations of Art Deco to demonstrate with eloquence that the style - though labelled a 'movement' only in retrospect - had an astounding coherence that led to its international appeal. The first ever book to explore Art Deco's pervasive influence in all areas of life, Art Deco Style is illustrated with examples from all over the world, from liners to letter-boxes and lampposts.

Genres: Art, Architecture

240 pages, Paperback

First published August 28, 1997

Reviews

[Less_cunning]

Informatively broad survey cum critical study. The scope of "Art Deco Style" is mostly all-encompassing & comprehensive, which for me was helpful being that i am an Art Deco n00b. There is a heavy, repeated discussion about the different ideological "strains" of Art Deco (i.e. the decorative "modernistic" and the Moderne (big M...)) and the Politics therein, and that discussion more or less informs or drives the scope of this books. Although "Art Deco Style" is wide-ranging & covers the spectrum of Art Deco there is a heavy focus on architecture but it does cover a lot of ground.

Hard to call this reference book & it is definitely not a coffee table book either but "Art Deco Style" was definitely enlightening & i think a great starting point for further specific investigations into varied niches w/in the Art Deco idiom.

[Gretchen Lorhammer]

I didn't read this book, but I did spend a lot of time studying the pictures and reading the captions. I learned quite a bit from this simple exercise, as the author really took the time to explain how each piece reflected the style in unique ways.

[Nurshafiqa]

before i was completely clueless about the art deco movement, and now i can say i know much more than i would've from wikipedia or something from the web.