Contents

Plagiarism Declaration

Essay

List of Illustrations

Reference List

This essay aims to understand the social and economic reasons

for the emergence of Art Deco both in Europe and the USA and

how the two interpreted and adopted the movement contrarily.

In America it created a consciousness in design aimed to push

consumption among the middle class where as in Europe it was

absorbed into upper class culture. This will deal with ideas

of escapism and luxury which are both rooted in their

respected nation’s heritage and search for culture. It will

also discuss the effect that these opposing notions had on

product styling, architecture and consumerism.

The formation of the United States of America was comprised of

many British colonies that fled Europe to escape religious

prosecutions. Protestants and Catholics held the belief that

the uniformity of religion must exist in any given society

(Library of Congress, 2014). Thus the beginning of America was

rooted in escapism and driven by the desire for new beginnings

in a “free world”; a notion that followed America into the 20th

century and through the birth of Modernism.

European heritage and culture was vast by the 20th century and

largely rooted around royalty and the idea of hierarchy within

a society. This affected the way in which Europe adopted Art

Deco and was a large why European Art Deco contained

modernistic interpretations of historical references to eras

such as Victorian and Baroque.

The beginning of the 20th century brought about a burst in new

technologies. New forms of power were combined with new kinds

of transport. Advances in numerous technologies amounted to

future visions that were mainly expressed through architecture

in Europe and product styling in America. Art Deco, in

contrast to modernist minimalist philosophies, sought to

locate a modern vision that, while embracing technology was

still symbolically referenced to ancient civilisations

(Striner, 1990).

Ideas of new materials and man’s control over his environment

were often linked with classical elements. Mythological

characters showed a connection of a building with its

occupying industry and classical figures portrayed in the

roles of modern workers demonstrated the connection between

classical idealism and modernity (Bryn Mar, 2013). This notion

was also achieved through the use of motifs such as sunbursts,

zigzags and ziggurats taken from ancient civilisations such as

Egypt and Mesopotamia. In this sense Art Deco can be

considered as an eclectic decorative style. Pre-Industrial and

industrial eras were also largely reference in European

interior design and led to a modernistic Victorian style and

streamlined Art Nouveau.

The turn of the century was marked by great changes and

challenges in society. The aftershock of World War I brought

about considerations of a future Western civilisation that was

imperative to the development of Art Deco (Dooley, 1999).

America entered late into the war and as result did not waste

as many resources on warfare as other nations. This amounted

to an economic boom in America in the 1920’s and the nation

became a promising candidate for a new national style.

American ideas of the future were vastly different to that of

Europe and were firmly rooted in its beginnings. Ideas about

escape, a new life and a new world arose as a result of

America’s search for culture and strongly coincided with the

famous modernist expression to “make it new”. The economic

boom of the 20’s provided a great opportunity that allowed for

mass production to be supported by sufficient public spending.

In order for this to be achieved, a consumer consciousness had

to be created around generating a desire for newly designed

products among the public. One of the ways that this was

achieved was by designing products in the ‘modern spirit’ as

to create a feeling of stylistic obsolescence towards older

products and thus encourage the purchase of newer goods that

were considered as part of “the future” (Charlotte & Wood,

2003). This new consumer consciousness, which was based around

Consumer dissatisfaction through modern styling, was also

supported through Advertising that would latch itself to

American pop culture as an attempt to reduce friction at the

point of purchase and thus streamline mass consumption.

One of the significant influences of 20’s pop culture was

after women gained the right to vote thus bringing about a new

role for women in society. This developed a new image of the

women who was free and independent, being able to reject

traditional values in exchange for a more fast-paced and

modern lifestyle. This type of women, referred to as the

flapper because of the short dress she wore and the way she

danced to jazz music, was an iconic symbol of the 20’s and

largely a creation of advertising as well as social

circumstances. She smoke, drank alcohol, took risks and drove

fast cars and was strongly associated with Jazz music and

night clubs. Art Deco’s strong association with Jazz culture

is why it is often referred to as the Jazz Style. The flapper

was one of America’s main points of reference in the marketing

of new products and is a simple, consumer-based representation

of the modernist ideology that existed in design at the time.

The iconic male equivalent was the self-made man, a male image

that was strongly linked with the popularity of the stock

market and the opportunities that it provided to make fast,

easy money. The notion of speed was also a contributing

factor to American pop culture which manifested itself in the

desire for fast and fancy cars.

The conscious of America and the ideals Modernism were matched

in their desire and focus to move forward and leave behind the

old and outdated. This sense of progression and movement;

fuelled by the decades technological advances, contributed to

the birth of American streamlining through the search for an

American aesthetic that was aimed at accurately describing

American culture. Streamlining was strongly influenced by

Futurism and its concepts of movement through time and space.

This was used in product design on the whole to signify, as

well as inspire the progression of a nation. The invention of

the airplane, which was a strong symbol of the possibilities

of technology, brought about the consideration of aerodynamics

into everything especially in the design of automobiles.

Styling included sleek contours and tear drop shaped forms

that communicated movement and speed and were not only limited

to the styling of transportation but the styling of products

as well. In this sense streamlining was not always

aerodynamically functional but was instead used as a

representation of a modern ideology that emphasised and valued

scientific progress.

The Fan Airflow represented in figure 1 is an example of the

type of streamlining that existed in product design. The tear

drop/bullet shaped motor compartment is stylised as to

communicate the sense of movement and flow of air from the

rotating blade and over the top exterior of the fan, in a

smooth and uninterrupted aerodynamic journey. This journey is

then followed by the eye and extends down the curve of the

fans body which flows into the front of a somewhat tear drop

shaped base which serves to represent the movement of the

entire product through its surrounding space. The bullet

shaped motor compartment does not only serve to indicate the

movement of air but is also representative of an airplane

propeller and its pointed front. The Normandie Pitcher made

of steel depicted in figure 2 shows a more minimalistic

approach towards streamlining while still being able to convey

movement of the liquid exiting out of the spout. The angle and

form of the spout is evidently influenced by the styling of

the SS. Normandie’s front exterior.

Apart from the numerous technological advances in

transportation, advances in communication also exploded with

the development and popularisation of the radio. The radio

served as a platform for the distribution of culture. It acted

as a tool for uniting a nation through the mass communication

of information and culture through news, popular music and the

political happenings of the time. As a product that was so

popular and widely used in almost every household it was

easily subjected to the styling of Art Deco. Due to its

primarily box-shape form, the styling of radios was hardly

able to follow streamlining principles and instead tended to

incorporate elements from Art Deco architecture and its use of

ancient motifs. However, radio design was not limited to these

architectural elements and often incorporated designs that

represented technology and were frequently reminiscent of

airplane and automobile interiors. The radio depicted in

figure 3 demonstrates this stylistic tendency through the

styling of the frequency meter which can be strongly

associated with an altitude gauge found in the interior of an

airplane. The rest of its façade incorporates the bold and

geometric, decorative elements of the Art Deco architectural

style. Its use of high-grade and expensive materials exudes a

feeling of luxury and elegance.

The technological and social momentum that America had gained

through-out the 1920’s economic boom would then be severely

disrupted by the great depression which originated in the USA

and spread rapidly to the rest of the world. The great

depression arose after the stock market crash of Wall Street

in 1929 known as Black Tuesday (University of Wisconsin,

2014). The stock market’s dependence on borrowed money was one

of the main causes of the depression as well as an

insufficient purchasing power among the middle class (Digital

History, 2014). This abrupt and shocking ending of a

prosperous decade brought Western fundamental ideas into

question and instead of adopting orthodox growth strategies

that adhered to the gold standard and cutting spending during

hard times, these old methods were rejected in favour of new

policies that aimed at turning the economy around through

currency devaluation and the encouragement of public spending

(Dobbin, FR., 1993). This emphasis on public spending, mainly

among the middle class, was aimed at sustaining high levels of

production in an attempt to keep the economy alive. The

strategy was extreme but pertained to the American consumer

consciousness that had been created and thrived in the 1920’s

and sought to exploit its social possibilities in an attempt

to regain economic stability. It is at this time that Art

Deco’s strength and beauty, which was reminiscent of Roman

republicanism, played an important role in retaining the

confidence and the faith of the public in the power of

technology.

During these times Hollywood, psychologically and

ideologically, also played an important role for the American

people through the maintenance of national morale (Digital

History). Hollywood was also a form of escapism by distracting

Americans from their problems, reinforcing older values, and

dampening political radicalism (Digital History, 2014). Cinema

interiors were lavish and decadent and their design strongly

adopted characteristics of Art Deco through the use motifs and

elements taken from ancient civilisations. Tutankhamun’s tomb

which was discovered in 1922 brought about the fad “Tutmania”

which largely influenced Hollywood styling. Americans were

able to escape into a place where they were made to feel like

Egyptian royalty as a part of the total Hollywood experience.

Cinema remained a strong vice for Americans through-out the

1930’s and 1940’s.

By the end of the great depression in 1939, America was yet to

face another monumental challenge in the form of the Second

World War. The war would bring about monumental advances in

technology and science, specifically a greater understanding

of the Atom. Society witnessed the complete power of

technology and its catastrophic consequences at the end of

WWII and the end of the Art Deco in 1945 after the drop of the

two atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

America’s ability to absorb Art Deco so successfully into its

way of life was based upon its late historical beginnings

which brought about its desire for individuality and

independence through a search for culture and identity.

American ideals of a new world, new beginnings and progression

were strongly mirrored by Modernistic ideals of speed and the

notion of charm through seduction and styling. America also

possessed a sufficient economic capacity that could

successfully adopt a mass consumer consciousness aimed at mass

purchase and production. In comparison, Europe never really

succeeded in securing a professional role for the Industrial

designer based on the solidarity of its heritage. In contrast

America’s lack thereof allowed for its flexibility and ability

to totally accommodate and absorb modern styles.

List of Illustrations

Robert Heller,

Fan Airflow, 1937

America

Image from: Unknown, (2014), one design era > american

streamlined design [ONLINE]. Available

at:http://oneoffmag.blogspot.com/2011/06/one-design-era-

american-streamlined.html [Accessed 14 May 14].

Peter Müller-Munk,

Normandie Pitcher, 1935

Montreal, Canada.

Image from: Unknown, (2014), one design era > american

streamlined design [ONLINE]. Available

at:http://oneoffmag.blogspot.com/2011/06/one-design-era-

american-streamlined.html [Accessed 14 May 14].

Image from: todays-music-on-vintage-radios-for-art-deco-and-

mid-century-aficionados [ONLINE]. Available

at: http://www.decorationadvisor.com/decoration-inspirations/t

odays-music-on-vintage-radios-for-art-deco-and-mid-century-

aficionados/ [Accessed 14 May 14].

Image from: todays-music-on-vintage-radios-for-art-deco-and-

mid-century-aficionados [ONLINE]. Available

at: http://www.decorationadvisor.com/decoration-inspirations/t

odays-music-on-vintage-radios-for-art-deco-and-mid-century-

aficionados/ [Accessed 14 May 14].

Reference List

Charlotte, TB. & Wood, G. 2003. Art Deco: 1910-1939. 1st ed.

London: Victoria and Albert Museum Publications.

Dooley, David, 1999. The Geographic Diffusion of Art Deco

Architecture in Delaware. 1st ed. Delaware: University of

Delaware.

The University of North Carolina Press. 2014. U.S prohibition

& Smuggling from Cuba. [ONLINE] Available

at:http://uncpress.unc.edu/pdfs/SampleChapters/9780807831755_s

aenz_cuban_ch1.pdf. [Accessed 14 May 14].

Triton College. 2013. Art Deco. [ONLINE] Available

at:http://academics.triton.edu/faculty/fheitzman/INT211%2012A

%20Art%20Deco.pdf. [Accessed 29 April 14].

Bryn Mawr . 2013. History of American Art Deco. [ONLINE]

Available

at:http://www.brynmawr.edu/cities/archx/05-600/proj/p2/npk/his

torydeco.htm. [Accessed 29 April 14].

University of Washington . 2012. Culture and Arts during the

Depression. [ONLINE] Available

at:https://depts.washington.edu/depress/culture_arts.shtml.

[Accessed 01 May 14]

University of Wisconsin. 2014. The Great Depression. [ONLINE]

Available at:https://www.uwosh.edu/llce/conted/lir/course-

listings/The%20Great%20Depression.pdf. [Accessed 05 May 14].

Dobbin, FR., 1993. The Social Construction of the Great

Depression: Industrial Policy during the 1930s in the United

States, Britain, and France. Theory and Society, 1/22, 1-56.

Digital History. 2014. Hollywood and the Great Depression.

[ONLINE] Available

at:http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/hollywood_gr

eat_depression.cfm. [Accessed 07 May 14].

Digital History. 2014. Prohibition. [ONLINE] Available

at: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraID=14&smtID=6.

[Accessed 07 May 14].

Temperance & Prohibition. 2014. Woman's Crusade of 1873-74.

[ONLINE] Available at:http://prohibition.osu.edu/womans-

crusade-1873-74. [Accessed 14 May 14].

America on the Move. 2014. Transportation Technology. [ONLINE]

Available

at:http://amhistory.si.edu/onthemove/themes/story_50_1.html.

[Accessed 14 May 14].

Elon University School of Communications. 2014. Imagining the Internet. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.elon.edu/e-web/predictions/150/1930.xhtml. [Accessed 14 May 14].

Striner, R, 1990. Art Deco: Polemics and Synthesis. WinterthurPortfolio, 58/5, 21-34.