Art Deco（c.1915-1940 ）
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A geometric aesthetic that bloomed during wars, booms, and depressions
Art Deco was popular between the two world wars, people said goodbye to the disorder brought about by the war with their gorgeous and pure geometric aesthetics, and rode with joyful feelings in the roaring 1920s.
It was believed that the First World War was the war to end all wars. This was an era of innovation and change, full of hope for the future. With optimism after the catastrophe, Europeans couldn't wait to start a new chapter. In the United States, which was rarely affected by the war, New York officially entered the stage of the fashion world in a thriving scene. At the same time, the war profoundly changed the role of women in society. They realized that they could perform social duties and enjoy life in a more free way. As a result, post-war women liberated themselves from braided hair and tight dresses, adapting to the arrival of the new era with a more down-to-earth attitude from inside out.
Her Secret Lover, Erté, 1982, in Erté's Seven Deadly Sins and Other Great Graphics.French artist and designer Erté (1892-1990) became famous during the Art Deco period. Many designs drawn for fashion magazines, jewelry, costumes, theater scenes, etc. are now treasured by major museums. Art Deco was his signature style throughout his life. With the renewed focus on Art Deco since the 1960s, Erté also became active again.
Starstruck, Erté, 1985. Glamour, Erté, 1982. French artist and designer Erté (1892-1990) became famous during the Art Deco period. Many designs drawn for fashion magazines, jewelry, costumes, theater scenes, etc. are now treasured by major museums. Art Deco was his signature style throughout his life. With the renewed focus on Art Deco since the 1960s, Erté also became active again.
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Glamour, Erté, 1985. French artist and designer Erté (1892-1990) became famous during the Art Deco period. Many designs drawn for fashion magazines, jewelry, costumes, theater scenes, etc. are now treasured by major museums. Art Deco was his signature style throughout his life. With the renewed focus on Art Deco since the 1960s, Erté also became active again.In 1925, the Paris International Exhibition of Modern Industry and Decorative Arts (Exposition internationale des arts décoratifs et industriels modernes), which was postponed due to the war, was grandly held in Paris. This was also the source of people calling this style "Art Deco" after the 1960s. Although at the time, "modern" was probably the more critical concept, the styles of the past were ruled out. Or more precisely, it had to be reinterpreted by the modernity recognized at the time, the decorative arts we know today. The fair invited elites in the field of applied art and design from more than 15,000 organizations in more than 20 countries to participate, including jewelry of course. Several of the most representative high-end jewelry brands were specially placed to display in a corner of the Grand Palais in Paris, under a huge canopy supported by eight pillars. Although their works had their own brand characteristics, they all showed trends in Art Deco jewelry clearly: geometric, linear, stylized, gems of different colors and textures, and coherent contrasting use of media.
Art Deco jewelry was inspired by various artistic trends such as Modernism and Cubism in the early 20th century, and also celebrated the inspiration and innovation from the Machine age. It wandered between figuration and abstraction with a strong self-style. The elegant and clear geometric shapes were often combined with African, Central and South American indigenous cultures, Persian, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, and other Middle East, Far East and even Southeast Asian cultures, such as Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as exotic cultural elements such as ancient Egyptian decorative motifs caused by the excavations of Tutankhamen's tomb in Egypt in the 1920s. It demonstrated exuberant and amazing performance with diamonds, precious colored gems, crystals, agate, coral, gemstones, mother of pearl and other semi-precious stones and metals, enamel, lacquer etc.
Charming short hair and a neat dress with a bare neck, arms, and slender shoulders were the classic look of fashionable girls in the Art Deco period. In line with new fashion trends, shoulder-length earrings, long necklaces crossing the waist, and more heavy wide bracelets, bangles, armbands, and more minimalist or geometric designs appeared, as well as strings of pearls or jewel tassels dancing to the jazz music. Portrait of Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg (1887-1969), Philip de Laszlo, 1920
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