Art Deco (short for Arts Décoratifs) is an influential visual arts design style that first appeared in France just before World War I and flourished internationally in the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s.

It is the visual language of the “Roaring Twenties” and the “Jazz Age.” Unlike Art Nouveau, which looked to nature and the past, Art Deco looked to the future, the machine, and the exotic. It combines modern styles with fine craftsmanship and rich materials. During its heyday, it represented luxury, glamour, exuberance, and faith in social and technological progress.

Here is a minute, detailed breakdown of the Art Deco movement.

1. The Origins: The 1925 Expo

The term “Art Deco” was coined retrospectively in the 1960s, but it refers to the style that dominated the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris.
The Mission: The goal was to establish a new modern style that was distinct from the past. The rules of the Expo actually stated that “no copies of historical styles” would be admitted. Everything had to be new.
The Shift: It marked the transition from the artisan-based craft of the 19th century to the industrial design of the 20th century.

2. The Visual Language (The “Grammar” of Deco)

Art Deco is instantly recognizable by its reliance on geometry and symmetry.

The Ziggurat (Stepped Form): Influenced by ancient Babylonian and Mayan pyramids, shapes step up or down in rhythmic levels. This is most obvious in skyscraper design.
The Sunburst: Rays of light radiating from a central point. This motif appears on everything from radio speaker grilles to elevator doors and the spires of buildings (e.g., the Chrysler Building).
The Chevron and Zig-Zag: Sharp V-shapes repeated in patterns. A symbol of electricity and masculine energy.
The Fountain: Stylized water spraying up and cascading down in geometric arcs.
Speed Lines: Groups of three or four parallel lines (usually horizontal) that imply motion and wind velocity.

3. Materials: The Cult of the New and Exotic

Art Deco designers loved contrast. They mixed the oldest, rarest materials with the newest industrial inventions.

Industrial: Chrome, Stainless Steel, Aluminum, and Bakelite (the first synthetic plastic, often used for radios and jewelry).
Exotic Natural:
Macassar Ebony & Zebrawood: Rare woods with high-contrast grain patterns.
Shagreen (Galuchat): Shark or stingray skin, used to cover cabinets and vanity cases.
Ivory & Tortoiseshell: Used for inlays and handles.
Lacquer: Many layers of hard, glossy Asian-style varnish (perfected by Jean Dunand).

4. Architecture: The Skyscraper Style

Art Deco is the style of the modern city. In New York, zoning laws (the 1916 Zoning Resolution) required buildings to step back as they rose to allow light to hit the street. This legal requirement perfectly matched the Art Deco “Ziggurat” aesthetic.

The Chrysler Building (NYC): The crown jewel of Art Deco. Its stainless steel terraced arches resemble car radiator caps. The gargoyles are modeled after hood ornaments.
Radio City Music Hall: The interiors feature massive sunburst chandeliers and murals celebrating human achievement and industry.
Miami Beach (Tropical Deco): A pastel-colored, lower-rise variation found in Florida. It features “eyebrow” windows (to shade from the sun), porthole windows, and neon lighting.

5. Streamline Moderne (The 1930s Evolution)

As the Great Depression hit in the 1930s, the high-luxury Art Deco of the 1920s evolved into Streamline Moderne (or Art Moderne).
The Shift: The focus moved from verticality and ornament to horizontality and aerodynamics.
The Look: Curves replaced sharp corners. Long horizontal lines wrapped around buildings and objects.
The Philosophy: Influenced by the science of aerodynamics (wind tunnels). Objects that never moved—toasters, pencil sharpeners, diners, and vacuum cleaners—were designed to look like they were moving at 100 mph.

6. Art Deco in Fine Art & Graphics

A. Painting (The “Hard Edge”)

Painters adopted the polished, metallic look of the machine.
Tamara de Lempicka: The most famous Art Deco painter. Her portraits of the elite look like they are made of polished steel. She used chiaroscuro to create hard, sculptural forms with no soft edges.
Fernand Léger: Merged Cubism with machine aesthetics (“Tubism”), turning human figures into collections of cylinders and cones.

B. Sculpture

Chryselephantine: Small statues made of Bronze and Ivory (Gold + Elephant). The clothes were bronze, and the skin was carved ivory. Demetre Chiparus is the master of this style, famous for his dancers.
Paul Manship: Created the Prometheus statue at Rockefeller Center. It combines classical mythology with streamlined, floating weightlessness.

C. Graphic Design (Posters)

A.M. Cassandre: He designed the iconic posters for the steamship Normandie and the Nord Express train. He reduced massive vehicles to simple, towering geometric shapes that emphasized their power and scale. He invented the “Bifur” font—a font made of lines and blocks.

7. Art Deco Jewelry

The jewelry of this era rejected the “pretty” flowers of Art Nouveau.
The Cuts: Diamonds were cut into baguettes (rectangles), triangles, and trapezoids rather than just round brilliants.
The Colors: Stark contrasts. Black Onyx next to White Diamonds. Coral (Orange) next to Lapis Lazuli (Blue).
Cartier: Created the “Tutti Frutti” style (carved colored gemstones) and geometric Art Deco wristwatches.

8. The End of the Era

Art Deco fell out of fashion during World War II. It was viewed as too flashy and decadent for a world at war. It was replaced by Mid-Century Modernism, which stripped away the decoration entirely to focus purely on structure and function. However, Art Deco saw a massive revival in the 1980s (associated with the aesthetic of Miami Vice and Post-Modernism).

Feature High Art Deco (1920s) Streamline Moderne (1930s)

Inspiration Luxury, Exoticism, Cubism Aerodynamics, Speed, Industry
Direction Vertical (Skyscrapers) Horizontal (Speed lines)
Lines Zig-zags, sharp angles Curves, rounded corners
Material Ivory, Ebony, Gold Chrome, Plastic, Concrete
Example The Great Gatsby A 1950s Diner

This concludes our encyclopedia of Art, Craft, and Design. You now have a comprehensive database of:
1. Fine Art Movements (Renaissance to Photorealism).
2. Graphic Art (Sketching to Hatching).
3. Decorative Arts (Furniture to Crystal).

Art Deco