Art Deco

by Victoria Charles, Carl H. Klaus

  Art Deco style was established on the ashes of a disappeared world, the one from before the First World War, and on the foundation stone of a world yet to become, opened to the most undisclosed promises. Forgetting herself in the whirl of Jazz Age and the euphoria of the “Années Folles”, the Garçonne with her linear shape reflects the architectural style of Art to the rounded curves succeed the simple and plain androgynous straight line…             Architecture, painting, furniture and sculpture, dissected by the author, proclaim the druthers for sharp lines and broken angles. Although ephemeral, this movement keeps on influencing contemporary design.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction

199 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2011

About the author

Victoria Charles received her PhD in history of art. She has published extensively on the subject and has regularly contributed to Art Information, an international guide to contemporary art.

Frequently writing articles for specialised journals and magazines, Victoria Charles recently contributed to a collective work, World History of Art.

Reviews

[Tomislav · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some pretty pictures but boring, pointless essay. It is not a general overview; the text is focused on the 1925 Paris exhibition which gave the name to the style. The verbose, vague descriptions of the exhibits often don’t make much sense because they are not supplemented with enough photographs that would help you understand what the author is talking about. There are maybe few paragraphs which help you understand the main characteristics of Art Deco, how and why it appeared. Numerous short mentions of designers are probably significant only to the most devoted experts, while iconic buildings (including the Empire State on the cover), paintings, or even Batman: The Animated Series, are completely ignored.

[Mark Carey]

I like the subject but don't enjoy Charles' style of writing. She seems to write with the intent to impress and advertise knowledge rather than contribute to the reader's understanding and pleasure. Too wordy and convoluted.

[Mira Sturdivant · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's kind of impressive that the author managed to write so painfully dry that even me, someone who would read any plain ol encyclopedia for fun, could not handle it.

It's... not a fun read. And although full of information still offers nothing that other books don't offer in much better ways.

[Isabella De Oliveira Campos · Rating 3 out of 5]

O livro poderia ter sido bem melhor: deu um ênfase excessivo e muitas vezes chato e maçante em mobiliário, joalheria e decoração de interiores e não falou nada da escultura (nem uma foto sequer das estátuas do Prometeu e do Atlas do Rockefeller Center em Nova Iorque, duas esculturas símbolos do Art Déco) e da pintura a óleo e pintura de murais do estilo do Art Déco. Como é que você escreve um livro sobre o Art Déco sem falar da Tamara de Lempicka e do Diego Rivera?

O livro também ignorou as artes gráficas do Art Déco, ou seja, os posteres e capas de livros do Art Déco, como os lembrados e copiados até hoje em jogos de videogame como Bioshock e nas capas dos livros da escritora Ayn Rand.

Uma menção ao filme Metropolis de Fritz Lang, um clássico filme com estilo Art Déco, é feita rapidamente só no final do livro, sem fotos acompanhantes.

Uma decepção de forma geral. Só fotos de cadeiras e mobília não-notáveis.

[Bruce Kirby · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're a fan of the art deco period, you'll find this book interesting. It focuses mainly on two exhibitions of art deco in the early 20th century. I would have preferred more space dedicated to furniture and jewellery. Still with beacutiful pictures and elegantly-written texts this book reads well.