Thursday, January 2, 2014

Art Deco

Out of the corner of his eye, Gatsby saw that the blocks of the sidewalks really formed a ladder and mounted to a secret place above the trees—he could climb to it, if he climbed alone, and once there he could suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder.
~F.S. Fitzgerald, 1925


art deco
a style of decorative art developed originally in the 1920s with a revival in the 1960s, marked chiefly by geometric motifs, curvilinear forms, sharply defined outlines, often bold colors, and the use of synthetic materials, as plastics. (Dictionary.com)


A little Deco for Art Thursday, starting with three works by Lee Lawrie:

Odin and Quetzalcoatl, door detail, east entrance, Library of Congress John Adams Building, Washington, D.C., 1939
by Lee Lawrie, photographed by Carol Highsmith

Ogma and Sequoyah, door detail, east entrance, Library of Congress
by Lee Lawrie, photographed by Carol Highsmith

Portion of Wisdom, with Light and Sound, 30 Rockefeller Center, New York City
"Wisdom and Knowledge Shall Be The Stability of Thy Times"
by Lee Lawrie, photographed by Jaime Ardiles-Arce

Los Angeles Public Library, South Facade, Central Library
photo by Kansas Sebastian
Inscriptions above South facing door--
Top: Lucerna pedibus meis | lumen semitis meis; "Thy word, O Lord, is a lantern unto my feet, and a light unto my steps."
Bottom: In the world of affairs we live in our own age; In books we live in all ages.

Stained glass from the building of "Acieries of Paris and Outreau"
designed by architect J. Monchicourt
photo by Jean-Pierre Dalbéra

Boston Avenue Methodist Church in Tulsa, Okla
photo by Robert Blackie

The Arts of Peace, Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, Washington, D.C.
by James Earle Fraser, photographed by Christian Bradford

* Facts about Art Deco for Kids from Free Resource.com
* Art Deco artists on Artcyclopedia
* A.M. Cassandre (and a tribute to him)

2 comments:

  1. Fabulous! Wisdom and knowledge...I've loved that magnificent piece at Rockefeller Center, and those words mean so much more in our times, don't you think? Happy New Year, Tabatha!

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  2. Love Art Deco! From cars to buildings, clocks to letter openers, this style is beautiful and memorable.

    Interesting that it is an amalgamation of the machine age and classic styles. The opening of Tutankhamun's tomb in Egypt actually played a huge role in the development of Art Deco.

    You've included some excellent examples.

    Thanks, Tabatha.

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