In the following blog I will be sharing what the Art Deco movement is all about and how it began. I will also be showing a comparison between an example of a Historical artwork and a Contemporary artwork.

The Art Deco Movement started in 1920 and ended in 1937. Art Deco movement was a response to the Art Nouveau style. Art Deco is also called Style Moderne (Art Deco | Definition, Characteristics, History, & Facts, n.d.). This Movements style is recognized by its simple, clean shapes, often with a “streamlined” look, geometric ornaments or unusually varied, expensive materials (Art Deco | Definition, Characteristics, History, & Facts, n.d.). This style was admired for how modern it looked. Art deco artwork showed simplicity, good planning, symmetry and repetition of elements. Some motifs for this movement are foliage, sun rays, nude female figures and animals. One of the main characteristics of Art deco would be the use of linear and geometric shapes in various patterns e.g. Zigzag, Trapezoidal. Certain objects like flowers would be highly stylized and simplified to maintain the high aesthetic of the movement (Art Deco | Definition, Characteristics, History, & Facts, n.d.). The Art Deco movement created designs for furniture, architechture, jewelry, clothes, posters etc (Deco, 2020). Art Deco was influenced by Bauhaus, Art Nouveau and Cubism. This movement emerged in Europe and spread to the United States, the different styles of art within Art Deco were also determined by the region of the Artist.

Self-Portrait in the Green Buggati,1929 Tamara de Lempicka

The image above is the dated example I have chosen from the Art Deco Movement. It is an oil painting of a Self-portrait that Tamara De Lempicka created of herself. It is one of the most popular Art deco paintings ever. In this artwork she has depicted herself driving a Green Buggati Sports car. The straps under her chin indicate she is wearing a helmet. She’s got gloves on and a scarf wrapped around her neck. The scarf flowing in the car and sports car in the painting indicate that the car is moving fast and freely. This could be to make a statement about how women should move, fast and freely (Self-Portrait in the Green Bugatti - the-artists.org, n.d.). The artist portrayed herself in a much sophisticated manner which is indicated by the expensive car, gloves and scarf around her neck. When one looks at her face they see a confident, strong and independent woman. Her portrayal of herself is quite powerful and liberal (Dzimira-Zarzycka, 2017). The green Buggati gives the painting an elegant touch. The use of simple colour and shape is influenced the art deco movement. Adding the folds and drapes to her scarf gave the painting a much more aesthetic look.

An Evening On The Town, Helena Lam

The image above is my contemporary example from the Art Deco Movement. The painting was created by a talented young artist from Canada and Hong Kong named, Helena Lam. She was deeply influenced by the style of the Art deco movement which is the style portrayed in most of her artworks (Helena Lam and her works in ART DECO style, 2013). In the painting above we see a tall Parisian Woman as the focal point of the artwork. She is wearing a tightly fitted dress showing off the curves on her body. In the background we see a highly stylized vintage car which gives the painting a touch of elegance. There is also a formally dressed man who seems to be gazing at something. His appearance also adds sophistication to the painting. When looking closely at the background, the art deco inspired patterns can be seen on the ground and on what seems to be the sky. The artist however made it more fun by using multiple kinds of patterns with not all of them being symmetrical. The choice of colour and pattern used by Helena showcase her Chinese background as they are similar to the colours and patterns used in Chinese art. A fusion of Western and Eastern imagery can be seen in her artwork (Helena Lam and her works in ART DECO style, 2013).

References

ART BLOG MarkovArt. 2013. Helena Lam And Her Works In ART DECO Style. [online] Available at: <https://markovart.wordpress.com/2013/05/23/helena-lam-and-her-works-in-art-deco-style/> [Accessed 13 August 2020].

Bihiku, T. and Bihiku, T., 2019. Helena Lam | Art Déco Painter. [online] Tutt'Art@ | Pittura • Scultura • Poesia • Musica. Available at: <https://www.tuttartpitturasculturapoesiamusica.com/2012/11/Helen-Lam.html> [Accessed 13 August 2020].

Deco, A., 2020. Art Deco - Concepts & Styles. [online] The Art Story. Available at: <https://www.theartstory.org/movement/art-deco/history-and-concepts/> [Accessed 13 August 2020].

Dzimira-Zarzycka, K., 2017. Self-Portrait (Tamara In A Green Bugatti) – Tamara Łempicka. [online] Culture.pl. Available at: <https://culture.pl/en/work/self-portrait-tamara-in-a-green-bugatti-tamara-lempicka> [Accessed 13 August 2020].

Encyclopedia Britannica. n.d. Art Deco | Definition, Characteristics, History, & Facts. [online] Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/art/Art-Deco> [Accessed 13 August 2020].

the-artists.org. n.d. Self-Portrait In The Green Bugatti - The-Artists.Org. [online] Available at: <https://www.the-artists.org/self-portrait-in-the-green-bugatti/> [Accessed 13 August 2020].