Art 101: What Is Art Deco?

We talk a lot about art being necessary for survival, but we have to wonder what are some of the ways it improves our lifestyle. One of the ways we use art is through decoration, so we have to wonder more and ask, what is art deco?

A photo showing autumn park with skyscraper reflecting in reservoir

Paint your own photo with a paint by numbers custom kit

Decorations are an extension of how you express yourself, which is why how you decorate your home lets people know more about who you are and how you present yourself to others. A lot of people like to get art that they enjoy, while others prefer classic types like art deco. 

However, we want to know, what is art deco? We want to know more about this type of decoration and how it’s different from all the other art decorative styles and why it has remained prominent in the modern age.

In the past, we have seen a lot of people rave about art nouveau, but since then, more people have been talking about art deco, so what is the difference between the two?

We want to know more about these decorative styles because we think a lot of people have raved about these two styles, but we want to know more about what makes them relevant and why a lot of people still enjoy these styles.

What is your favorite art decorative style? How you decorate your home makes a huge impact on how people think of you and your home. How do you plan on decorating your home?
 

Art Deco vs. Art Nouveau

Before we answer the question, what is art deco, let’s differentiate between art nouveau and art deco. Here are their primary differences: 

  1. Art nouveau focuses more on avant-garde pieces: They first developed art nouveau to unite decorative art and fine art. Art nouveau also took the lead when it came to more avant-garde pieces, taking inspiration from the present and the future rather than from the past.

  2. Art nouveau features more neutral colors and shapes: Despite being the leader of the avant-garde movement, art nouveau makes use of more naturally beautiful pieces.

  3. It embraces and rejects industrialism: Art nouveau was first introduced during the industrialization of Europe, and it has been an enigma when it comes to this movement because it embraces and rejects industrialism at some point, and still celebrates it at another interesting point. 

What Is Art Deco?

A black and white view of art deco building

Now that we’ve covered what makes art nouveau different from art deco, we’re going to answer, what is art deco? This was one of the two revolutionary movements that were first introduced during the late 19th century of Europe. It was said that the artists that revolutionized art nouveau thought that the movement was becoming unfashionable. 

These artists needed to create a new movement that would make sense in the contemporary world and would shout, “I’m here” from the top of modern rooftops. Hence, art deco was born. In a lot of ways, we can see that art deco focuses more on geometric shapes, taking inspiration from cubism, and other styles. 

Simply defined, art deco is a combination of multiple styles of art, and unifies the past and the future, giving it a more modern take. Most of us can take one look at art deco furniture or design, and say that’s art deco, but when it comes to pinpointing the very essence of it, we struggle. 

The American contemporary of Art Deco is Streamline Moderne, and to this day, we still see people applying these design techniques in buildings and even personal furniture. 

Key Takeaways

A photo of a blue and yellow floral textile

Paint your own photo with a paint by numbers custom kit

Now that we’ve answered, what is art deco, and differentiated between art nouveau and art deco, we hope it gives you more of a clear idea of what this decorative style is and why it remains relevant to this day. We love decorating our homes, and how we decorate them makes us more comfortable in our homes. 

We want more people to understand more about these revolutionary movements because we think that they have influences on modern art, which makes these movements more relevant in recent times, even beyond when they were first introduced to the world and the masses. 

Paint your own photo with a paint by numbers custom kit