foreign [Music] [Music] what comes to your mind when you think of 1920s for most people the 1920s conjure up images of jazz flappers old hollywood the great gatsby and the chrysler building in new york city it was a time of prosperity exorbitant spending and entertainment that gave rise to one of the most popular decorative arts and architecture movements known as art deco characterized by exquisite craftsmanship lavish decoration and rich materials the style has become synonymous with the roaring twenties so what was the art deco movement all about and what differentiates it from other major movements
finally despite its popularity today what makes art deco so closely associated with the 1920s in today's video we'll dive into the history of the era and learn about art deco the style that continues to inspire designers and architects around the world [Music] [Applause] [Music] if you'd like to see more episodes on architecture be sure to give us a like and tell us which topics you want to learn about next art deco was a decorative arts design and architectural style that spanned the roaring 20s and the great depression afterward although it had already appeared in belgium
and france before the first world war in the buildings of joseph hoffman and auguste beirei the movement was officially introduced to the world in 1925 it had its debut at the international exhibition of modern decorative and industrial arts in paris after which it was named art deco after the great war europe was left in ruins and confronted with a depressed economy however in 1925 the french were determined to forget the troubled past and inspire hope for a better and prosperous future by organizing a fair that focused on architecture and design as crucial players in recovering
from wartime devastation the rules of the exhibition required that all pieces reflect aspects of modernity although american artists were not present at the fair the new style quickly became a great success in the united states especially in the realm of architecture and not only in the states the movement soon spread throughout the world becoming mainstream in countries like great britain portugal cuba russia indonesia china australia india and brazil driven by optimism progress and technology art deco represented all that was new and progressive favoring modern and opulent designs it's no surprise that the post-war society embraced
it with open arms especially the wealthy and upper middle class who craved a brighter future better entertainment and more over-the-top luxury art deco became a popular style for theaters cinemas ocean liners train stations commercial buildings public buildings and the emerging skyscrapers exemplified in the chrysler building by william van allen in new york city it even made an impact on the design of jewelry silverware fine glass objects fashion advertising theater and movie sets cars and everyday objects such as radios and vacuum cleaners however compared to the modernist movements arteco was a more decorative and symbolic expression
of modernity marked by a mixture of different styles and ornamentation many different styles and art movements influenced art deco the geometric forms of cubism and dousteal had an important influence on the style as did the machine-like forms of futurism and constructivism art deco also borrowed from egyptian mesopotamian and aztec art as well as classical antiquity chinese and japanese traditional art offered artists a new source of stylistic motifs too even the ballet ruse notably the exotic set designs by leon bass inspired designers and architects of the time aradeco did find roots in the aran war embracing
all kinds of art and focusing on decoration however it was far less ornate and contrary to the curves and the organic forms of arnold are the was all about straight lines sharp edges and geometry [Music] during its heyday in the 1920s the eclectic and sophisticated art deco style represented luxury in opulence combining costly materials and fine craftsmanship with the substantial modernization of art forms seen in the past it was a time when the economy was booming and nothing was cheap about this new style people longed for speed travel and adventure and cars produced by gabrielle
vuessa and stylish ocean lines like the famous ss ile du france built by the french line they indulged in fun and alcohol which was illegal in the us at the time at lavishly decorated nightclubs people wore glamorous pole poahi dresses daring bob haircuts and luxury jewelry from cartier chome boucheron and vancleaf and arpel this glamorous lifestyle is perfectly captured in the works of one of the most famous art deco artists the polish painter tamara de lempitska her painting style was just as luxurious as her models as she mostly painted portraits of the elite of the
era her paintings are marked by clean sensual lines highly stylized forms brilliant colors and smooth textures encapsulating the roaring twenties elegance style and spirit in her most famous work the 1925 self-portrait in the green bugatti she portrayed herself as an independent woman of beauty wealth and fashion however when the great depression took hold in the 1930s art deco entered a phase marked by economic limitations and moderation the style became more restrained simplified and austere at that time the u.s replaced france as a leader of the style a new style in architecture called streamline modern appeared
inspired by aerodynamic design the style was focused less on verticality and more on low horizontal structures it was characterized by curves long horizontal lines smooth polished surfaces and the use of newly arrived and more affordable materials like chrome stainless steel and plastic after world war ii the popularity of art deco weakened giving way to the strictly functional and minimalist modernism nonetheless the style was lovingly revisited by designers and architects in later decades and still inspires as much joy de vivre in people as it did a hundred years ago today you can find many buildings worldwide
whose interiors evoked a luxurious style of art deco such as the bar american in london the famous p1 club in munich or the fitzgerald suite in new york city's plaza hotel suppose your wallet doesn't allow you to party like the great gatsby in that case you can still enjoy the art deco aesthetic in movies and tv series including the british television series poirot adapted from the famous novels of agatha christie tim burton's batman and numerous big screen and tv translations of fitzgerald's famous novel the latest and most extravagant of them being lerman's the great gatsby
[Applause] hey muses what do you find most interesting about the art deco movement are there any important figures of the movement that we left out can you think of any building in your city that resembles art deco style if so be sure to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments and don't forget to like and subscribe for more great content on our youtube channel and instagram page lastly if you enjoy our content and would like to support us you can now become our patreon our project is self-funded and to continue running it we need
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