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ART DECO SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON

In This Issue:

Vo

lum

e 2

9 N

o.1

Ju

ly

20

11

News & Notes From the DecoPhiles 3

Art Deco Now and Then: The Role of the Media in its Popularization 5

Deco Discoveries: Deco for the Priests in Brittany 28

ADSW

Board of Directors

President—Jim Linz

Vice President—Vacant

Treasurer—Lou Simchowitz

Secretary—Vacant

At Large Members:

Linda Lyons

Karyn Jarboe

Colleen Levow

Silver Spring—Richard Striner

Visit us on the web at

www.adsw.org

Webmaster—Jim Linz

Wanna Be a Member?

Join online at

www.adsw.org

Or call 202-298-1100

And request an

application

Trans-Lux

Trans-Lux is published four times a year

by the Art Deco Society of Washington,

P.O. 42722, Washington, D.C. 20015-

2722. Phone (202) 298-1100.

ADSW is a non-profit organization in-

corporated to foster public awareness

and appreciation of the Art Deco period

through volunteer actions to preserve the

era’s decorative, industrial, architectur-

al, and cultural arts.

Editor/Publisher—Jim Linz

Book Reviews Editor—Vacant

Calendar Editor—Lynda

Schmitz Fuhrig

Contributors: Jim Linz Clive Foss Barbara Billauer Bailey

Trans-Lux is looking for a few good writers. Please submit manuscripts and photographs to Jim Linz, PO Box 221011, Chantilly, VA 20153. Please enclose a self-addressed envelope for return of material. Sub-mission of letters/articles implies the right to edit and publish. ©2011 ADSW

On the Cover: Brochure for the United Fruit Company Steamship Service

http://www.adsw.org

http://www.adsw.org

TRANS-LUX VOLUME 29 NO. 1

News and Notes from the Deco Philes

Expo Reviews Mostly Favourable Both dealers and customers seemed pleased with the Exposition of 20th Century Decorative Arts‘ return to the Ernst Community Cultural Center after a 4-year absence. Dealers generally praised the ease of setup and breakdown thanks to the greatly expanded loading dock. Many

also commented on the brightness and openness of the Ernst Center com-pared to the individual rooms and dark corridor at the Dulles Expo Cen-ter. Strong sales were reported by a number of dealers. Customers seemed pleased with the openness of the show floor and the selection of dealers. Many positive comments were also received about the first-ever Expo After Hours Party. Attendees had particular praise for the swing danc-ers—Joe and Tabitha Robinson—and the musical shorts. Although reviews of the 2011 Expo were mostly positive, there were a few problems. The public address system did not work properly, compli-cating show management‘s efforts to communicate with dealers and cus-tomers. Providing food service on the mezzanine level proved problem-atic and was moved to the Atrium for the second day of the show. The most oft heard complaint, however, had to do with parking charges. For the first time since the show moved to Northern Virginia, there was a $1 an hour charge for parking for Saturday customers even though the school‘s vast parking lots were mostly empty. ADSW will work with Northern Virginia Community College officials on a solution.

Expo Lost and Found A camera and clip-on sunglasses were left at the Expo. If you lost either item, contact Colleen Levow at [email protected] or 703.758.9771.

Expo Dates Set for 2012, 2013 Although the 2011 Expo was only a month ago, plans are underway for both 2012 and 2013. The show will remain at the Ernst Center during the first weekend in June in 2012 and then move to the second weekend

(Continued on page 4)


in June in 2013. The switch to the second weekend in June will avoid fu-ture conflicts with the Reading Air Show. Unfortunately, another group has already booked the Ernst Center the second weekend in 2012.

Raskin, Cotter Resign Ira Raskin and David Cotter resigned from the Board following the Expo. A life-member, Ira served as Expo Chair, Co-Chair, or Deputy Chair for most of the last 20 years. He also served as Treasurer during a particu-larly difficult period, transferring that role to Lou Simchowitz last Sum-mer. David Cotter also made significant contributions to the Society, most re-cently as Vice President. Both Ira and David plan to continue their involvement in ADSW programs. With the departure of Ira and David, the Board has a critical need for new members. Contact Jim Linz (703-568-3745 or [email protected]) to volunteer.

Frederick Hodges Returns San Francisco Society pianist Frederick Hodges returns to Northern Vir-ginia Sunday, July 24th, for a concert at Jordan Kitts Studio in Merrifield. The concert, sponsored by the Northern Virginia Ragtime Society, begins at 2 pm. For details and tickets go to www.nvrs.org. Reservations are required.

Fly Down to Rio...for the World Congress on Art Deco Registration for the 11th World Congress on Art Déco, scheduled for Rio de Janeiro, August 14 - 21, 2011 is open. A pre-Congress program will be held in São Paulo from August 11 - 13. The 2011 Congress will be the first in Latin and South America. For further information check the website for the Instituto Art Déco Brasil—www.artdecobrasil.com. Questions should be directed to Márcio Alves Roiter, founder and President of the Instituto Art Déco Brasil. He can be reached at [email protected]

If you plan to attend the World Congress, or are looking for a traveling companion to share expenses, please send a message to [email protected].

http://www.nvrs.org

http://www.artdecobrasil.com

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


Art Deco Now and Then:

The Role of the Media

in its Popularization

By Barbara Billauer Bailey A bit of history: Expos - their effect on culture, the arts and future technology cannot be underestimated. Indeed most people attribute the popularization of the Art Deco aesthetic to the 1925 Paris Exposition. The Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exposition of Mod-ern Industrial and Decorative Arts), held in Paris, France from April to Octo-ber 1925, brought together a host of international avant garde creators employing a new and modern design aesthetic for the first time. (The term Art Deco was derived by shortening the words Arts Décoratifs.) 4,000 guests attended the inauguration on April 28, and thousands of visitors came on each of the following days to watch the inauguration of a new approach to design. And whether expressed as Bauhaus Modern or French Deco, these forms translated into new and modern, exemplified by sleek-ness of line and finesse of form, reducing, if not eliminating, the profusion of sinuous emollients of the earlier Art Nouveau movement. While the rudiments of the Art Deco style was conceived more than a dec-ade earlier, the birthday of the new form was celebrated at this grand expo. As Waldemar George wrote: ―All that clearly distinguished the old-er ways of life was rigorously excluded from the exposition of 1925.‖ The new style that would be showcased would be aggressively modern, taking its lead from the cutting edges of other arts in expressing the spirit of the new age.

The new form was characterized by a ―streamlined classicism showcasing

facetted, crystalline structures,‖ It‘s embellishments, if you can use the term

in the Art Deco context, consisted of decorative references to sleek machin-

ery, stylized fountains, gazelles, lightning flashes, inspiration from ancient

cultures that relied heavily on geometric lines, such as ―Aztec,‖ or other

reminiscences of ancient influences, such as Egyptian revival, by interpreting

them by incorporating with a repetitive linear form or geometric motifs. The

demise of art nouveau, with its sinuous grace of lines, that of soft folds of

drapes or reminiscent of languid movements of exotic dancers, was appar-

ent. Instead, it was to be replaced by the Cubism of Braque, Gris and Pi-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Deco


casso, heralding a taste for abrupt angularity, an abruptness smoothed

into a sleekness we now call ―streamlined.‖ The beginnings of futurism also

appeared under the Art Deco rubric; Le Corbusier‘s grand housing plan

replete with 200 foot skyscrapers, along with Austria‘ City in Space by

Frederick Kiesler was introduced.

Fourteen years later, in 1939, the World‘s Fair forever cemented the ―novel‖ Art Deco style into the iconic stratosphere.

But were these two seminal events enough to catapult the nascent design form into continuing prominence? And what about the pivotal years be-tween the two events? What served to keep the aesthetic alive, and foster its acceptance during the ensuing years of global unrest, world turmoil, economic havoc, the stock-market collapse and the great depression -- events which surely would have interrupted, if not destroyed any other design form – those depending on expensive materials and labor-intensive

Kiesler also designed the stage design for W.U.R. (R.U.R). It was the first attempt to design electro-mechanical scenery, which becomes alive, an ac-tive part in the play, using: movement of lines, sharp contrasts of colours, transformation of surfaces towards relief and curved human forms (actors), the interplay of moving lights of vari-ous colors on the scenery, in rhythm according to speech intonation and the movement of the actors.

Administrative Offices 1939 World‟s Fair in Queens,

New York, now used as an airline terminal. (Below)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Kiesler


details? Indeed, these global developments actually were a boon to pro-duction of art-deco designs, which relied heavily on industrial materials and sheared the distracting curly-q with its added cost to produce. Ironically, the plummeting economy was the perfect background to nurture an aesthet-ic requiring grace and elegance of line and respect for the geometric form, rather than algebraic swirls and spirals and multiplicative embellishments characterized by the Baroque, and even the more restrained Federalist design.

R.U.R. is a science fiction play by Karel Čapek premiering 1921 which introduced the word ―robot‖ into the English language. (R.U.R. stands for Rossum's Universal Robots), serving as the prototype for Isaac Asmiov‘s ―I, a Robot,‖ series. The play begins in a factory that makes artificial people called "robots, creatures closer to modern androids or clones, as they can be mistaken for humans and can think for themselves. After finishing the manuscript, Čapek realized he had created a modern version of the Jewish Golem legend. Later, he wrote in War with the Newts, in which non-humans become a servant class in human society. Note the window treatments and the costumes of the robots, the artwork on the wall and the circular motif above the door.

Yet, the popularity of an art form cannot be attributable solely to its af-fordability or practicality, or even its attractiveness. Art, after all, is an experience, one that needs translation and exposure to the masses to pop-ularize it. And so, without TV or the internet, without home decor magazines or HGTV, the unique characteristics of the 1920s and 1930s found one additional avenue to bring the tableau before the ―commoner,‖ introducing and glamorizing what might have otherwise drifted into a temporary craze – the movies. The movie theater, the prevalent recreation center of the day, became the

milieu to showcase Art Deco through its in set (and costume) design – even its architecture and its own interior design. But freed from the practical con-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_(theatre)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_%C4%8Capek

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_(robot)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clone_(genetics)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_folklore

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golem

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_with_the_Newts


siderations of mass production or practicality, the Hollywood set designer was freed to let imagination run wild, to take the pared down and under-stated and display the designs in the context of spectacle, portraying the designs in the setting of sheer magnificence and grandeur, resulting in the astounding and memorable set designs of the 1920s and 1930s. Sadly, the movies are hard-to-come by and isolated images of the sets are barely accessible. Those that are available are muddy and grainy. But even in the poorly pixilated images, their grandeur becomes apparent. These designs became the style of choice for science-fiction and futuristic themes, and the futuristic forms of the eventually realized technological developments owe

their origins to the imaginations of the original Art Deco designers. Form: While many movie theaters were designed in Art Deco fashion, (following that icon of the design, Radio Center, designed by Donald Deskey) it is the set designs that inspire the magic of its use in interiors. The first recognized use of Art Deco in set design emerged in 1928 and is at-tributable to Cedric Gibbons in the film ―Our Dancing Daughters.‖ In addi-tion, Mr. Gibbons designed the Art Deco inspired interiors of Private Lives (1931) and the Thin Man (1934-6). Private Lives is the modern Noel Cow-ard adaptation.

Our Dancing Daughters" (1928) is a silent gem directed by Harry Beaumont. This "Jazz Age" melodrama focuses on three flappers out for a wild time finding men. Socialite Diana Medford, played by Joan Crawford, is an honest and decent girl noted for her love of dancing and wild parties. Diana's best friend Ann, played by Anita Page, is not only a conniving little tramp who passes herself as a good girl, but also a cold hearted gold digger. Beatrice, played by Dorothy Sebastian, is largely reformed, but she is a girl with a past. Notice the sconces in the back-ground.

Our Dancing Daughters (1928)

Set design by Cedric Gibbons, who also de-

signed the Oscar statuette, which he would win

more times than any one else, other than Walt

Disney. The repetitive geometric shapes gradu-

ate in size on the back wall, a hallmark of the

Art Deco design. The form is echoed on the

wall sconces, a popular Art Deco design fea-

ture. And note the ubiquitous high ceilings.


The Thin Man Set design by Cedric Gibbons (1934)

Simple use of rectangular shapes

unify the décor, while the lines are

echoed on the bed covering and the

window panes, and the desk, a dead

ringer for a Parson‟s design.

After the Thin Man (1936)

(from Cinema Style)

A Cedric Gibbons set

design reinterpreted by

Richard Finkelstein for

Private Lives (c.2000).


Private Lives Set Design for Noel Coward‟s Production by Scenic & Lighting Design by R. Finkelstein - Produced at The University of Colorado at Den-ver, College c. 2000.

This is my personal

favorite Cedric Gib-

bons Set. c. 1930s

Night of the Lawyers, a

modern Art Deco de-

sign created in 1997.


What dazzles me about these two sets, about which I can find little data other than one is from the 1930s and the other is relatively recent (1997), is the high ceiling found in so many Art Deco sets. Coupled with the rectan-gular marble obelisks, topped with statuettes or gilded spheres, the look is dramatic, yet achievable. In the realm of television, the look was copied in ―My Little Margie‖ a 1950s froth of a sitcom, in the glamorous offices of Margie‘s father, Verne. There glass brick added to the industrial-modern chic. Glamour: “Just Imagine”

―The art deco interiors of this pre-code MGM comedy gave America a glimpse into how the wealthy dealt with the loss of money and power at the height of the Great Depression. Here Jean Harlow luxuriates in her wedding cake of a bedroom. The lush shag carpet, plumed bedposts and ruched drapes demonstrate great use of texture and scale. The unifying power of white ties it all together for total glamour. ‖ http://www.elledecor.com/image/tid/4546?pause=0&page=1 Elle Décor, Hollywood‘s Classic Interiors.

While the glamour of these movies may have been innovative for the day, they are the stuff that inspires current interior designers, and off-shoots can be seen by just flipping through any current upscale Décor Magazine. The shiny sinuous sheets and bed coverings have been inex-pensively recreated with polyester and polished cotton and are motifs easily duplicated in today‘s bedroom. Adding mirrored vanities and a rounded opening bordered by sheer drapes effectively copies the look of the Mata Hari Bedroom. (1931).

Just Imagine

(1930)

http://www.elledecor.com/image/tid/4546?pause=0&page=1

http://www.elledecor.com/image/tid/4546?pause=0&page=1


Certain unofficial ―rules‖ applied to the creation of the Hollywood Art Deco bedroom:

Only the finest quality materials were used- a feat that can be

achieved today by the vast array of superior simulated materials available.

It was important that the look of the bedroom was sumptuous, luxuri-

ous and über-sexy!

1933, Dinner at Eight, Jean Harlow‟s bedroom ,Art Direction: Hobe Erwin and Fred Hope


All of the bedroom elements had to portray a similar glam aesthetic,

however, the individual pieces were often a very eclectic mix of design styles.

Non-traditional bedroom furniture such as armchairs, mini-sofas or

chaise lounges and coffee tables also started making their way into the boudoir.

Having a small reading area or cozy vignette in front of a fireplace

within the bedroom was the height of luxury and easily portrayed the look of wealth and affluence.

If there is one element that certainly defines Art Deco it is the repetitious use of simple geometric shapes. Here merely the stacking of hemispheric steps in graduating sizes conveys the style. (see below in ―Our Blushing Brides.‖

Take a look at the bedroom in “Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day,” a movie made in 2008 that a tells a story written in 1939 to see these rules inter-

preted in modern times. Note the rounded room, and high ceilings, two features very identifiable with Art Deco design, even in the contemporary rendition.

http://www.art-deco-style.com/art-deco-furniture.html

http://www.art-deco-style.com/art-deco-furniture.html


Our Blushing Brides 1930

A little art deco glamour: Barbara Leonard from

Monsieur le Fox (1930)

Letty Lynton, 1932 Joan Crawford in an Art Deco

Revolving Doorway


Repetition of form

The bold use of stepped forms and sweeping curves (unlike the sinuous, natural curves of the Art Nouveau), chevron patterns, and the sunburst motif are typical of Art Deco. A resurgence of interest in Art Deco came with graphic design in the 1980s, where its association with film noir and 1930s glamour led to its use in ads for jewelry and fashion.

Mood If any style conveys the new age of modernism, certainly it belongs to the streamlined form of Art Deco. There could then be only one possible style suitable fore the backdrop of Ayn Rand‘s, ―The Fountainhead.‖ In his first solo effort on a film, set decorator Edward Carrere gives a prime example

A contemporary expres-sion Here‟s the living room from the 2008 film, Miss Pettigrew Lives for a D a y . N o t e t h e Wall sconces and key motif around the fire-place.

A 1930s film set

Notice the form of wall

sconce repeats in the chan-

delier; the round table

repeats the semi -round

door way, which is repeat-

ed in the distance.


of setting a mood through set design. Through the use of miniature skyscrap-ers, matte paintings and soundstage sets, Carerre designed prewar mod-ernist apartments complete with spectacular views of the city, sweeping terraces, Alvar Aalto/Scandinavian style modular furniture, seemingly un-supported cantilevered staircases and reflective tabletops, floors and glass everywhere. He was also heavily influenced by German Expressionism.

Scenes from The Fountainhead (1949)


But perhaps the most brilliant use of Art Deco design as a backdrop was in King Kong. Can you imagine the giant hairy gorilla grasping the diminutive and fragile Fay Wray with Fontainebleau in the background – or the Alca-zar? Only the sleek lines and sinuous array of lit portholes would provide the needed contrast.

Film historians note the sets represent the "last gasp of modern-ism of the times." Ironically, the very elements the architec-tural press disputed (such as the contem-porary designs of the Enright House) be-came popular years

later in Manhattan.

Carerre's design is charac-terized by themes of shapes - hexagonal grids, rectan-gular rug with woven pat-tern of squares in an or-thogonal room with a sofa placed on the diagonal.


King Kong battling an air-

plane atop the Empire State

Building in 1933.

1933 Poster for King Kong at left. On the right is a poster for the 1976 remake-- hardly conveys

the drama even though the plot is far more diabolical.


As much as Cedric Gibbons was credited with popularizing the style in 1938, the initial introduction of Art Deco in film predated this by about a decade, and in illustration by—believe it or not—about 30 years. The ―streamlined‖ form and independence of line associated with the movement was well suited for the newly mined genre of science fiction. Take a look at these photos from the 1927 film Metropolis, and lament how later rendi-tions of robots and a futuristic society pale in comparison:

Metropolis (1927)

Fritz Lang's silent sci-fi may be best known for its wondrous female robot, Eve, but it's the set design that really takes your breath away. It features a cloud-scraping contemporary Tower of Babel, an industrial workers' pro-duction hell-hole, and super-modern, master-of-the-universe-style offices – all revealing its creators' in-depth knowledge of the very latest European architectural developments. Whether they're interpreting Art Deco, Bauhaus Modern or Expressionism, all the buildings shown are terrifying. The overall effect is curiously Gothic, shadowy, elongated, chiaroscuro. And scary.

A still from Fritz Lang's

Metropolis (1927). Photo-

graph: Ronald Grant

Archive

It has taken a year, but the only known

nearly complete version of Fritz Lang‟s Me-

tropolis has finally made its way from where

it was discovered in Buenos Aires to Wiesba-

den, Germany where it will undergo restora-

tion at the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau Foun-

dation.

http://www.filmbuffonline.com/FBOLNewsreel/wordpress/2008/07/07/complete-copy-of-metropolis-found/


Metropolis, whose futuristic art-deco look and social criticism has influenced countless films since its release in 1927, has been subjected to numerous trims over the years at the hands of various worldwide distributors. Most of those trims were eventually rediscovered, leading to previous restored versions of the film that have been released over the last two decades.

1920 Version of

Metropolis

(abobe)

Based on Fritz Lang's 1927 masterpiece Metropo-

lis, Hollywood Collectibles proudly presents their

tribute - the Maria robot! Standing over 20" tall

on her themed base, this is not only a stunning

depiction of the first robot to appear in film, but

also a standalone Art Deco work of art! This

incredible piece is constructed from heavyweight

polystone and then hand-painted to the finest

detail.

From the Distributor Update: September 1, 2010


(Editor‘s Note: Electro will be on exhibit at the National Building Museum through July 10, 2011 as part of the museum‘s Designing Tomorrow: Ameri-ca’s World’s Fairs of the 1930s exhibition.)

The 1939 Westinghouse Exhibit of Electro the Robot.


Compare the modern posters for Star

Wars and Star Trek movies (top left and

bottom) with the poster for the sci-fi

film Metropolis (1927) Somehow, the

art deco motif conveys a much more

dramatic and ominous feel than the

more technically advanced modern

creation.


Art DECo EvEn BEForE thEn … AnD

After Now

While traditionally Art Deco is said to have arisen in 1910 at the earliest, one can find harbingers of the aesthetic in the realms of science fiction (and Egyptian Revival, discussed in an earlier edition of Trans Lux). In the imaginative free reign appropriated by the creators of science fic-tion and their illustrators, one can find the seeds of what eventually be-came a movement of its own.

Consider the illustration below from a Jules Verne novel called ―From Earth

to the Moon‖ published and illustrated c. 1863!


In his book Science Fiction Studies (XXV:2, July 1998: 241-70) author Ar-

thur B. Evans notes that

―…there were over four thousand illustrations in Jules Verne‟s Voyages Extraordinaires—an

average of 60+ illustrations per novel, one for every 6-8 pages of text in the original in-octavo red

and gold Hetzel editions. Since the publication of Verne‟s first novel in 1863, these Victorian-looking

woodcut plates and maps have constituted an integral part of Verne‟s early science-fiction tales: to

such an extent, in fact, that today most modern French reprints of the Voyages Extraordinaires

continue to feature their original illustrations—recapturing the “feel” of Verne‟s socio-historical

milieu and evoking that sense of faraway exoticism and futuristic awe which the original readers

once experienced from these texts. And yet, to date, the bulk of Vernian criticism has virtually

ignored the crucial role played by these illustrations in Verne‟s oeuvre. …

„As I have discussed in somewhat more detail elsewhere,1 there appear to be four different catego-

ries of illustrations in the Voyages Extraordinaires, each of which has a different semiotic and/or

didactic function within the narrative. The first offers renderings of the protagonists of the story—

e.g., portraits like the one of Impey Barbicane in De la terre à la lune [From the Earth to the Moon]

(#1). The second features the places visited by the protagonists and are normally more panoramic

and postcard-like—e.g., the many exotic locales, unusual sights, and flora and fauna which the

heroes encounter during their journey, like the one from Vingt mille lieues sous les mers [20,000 Leagues Under the Sea] depicting divers walking on the ocean floor .”

Jules Verne‟s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, published in 1869 with the first submarine named „Nautilus.”

Notice the repetitive use of geometric shapes in both this illustration and the

prior one.

http://jv.gilead.org.il/evans/illustr/#1


Notice the repetitive cross-hatching con-

tained within the modernistic dome. This

illustration of Jules Verne‟s work was

done by Alphonse de Neuville (1835-

1885)

George Benett‟s rendering of Verne‟s novel is considered uniformly banal and boring, yet... This is the work which made

Jules Verne world-famous.

Yet, look at the fantastic helicopter air-ship Albatros in the 1886 novel Robur-le-

conquérant.


By 1910, of course, the rudiments of Art Deco had begun to lay roots in art and architecture. But notice how George Roux (1850?-1929), the second most prolific illustrator of the Voyages Extraordinaires—responsible for illustrating 22 novels in the series, mostly during the last years of Verne‘s

literary production (#48) aesthetic in his illustration of Verne‘s Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; the streamlined design of the wings and engine long

preceding modern design.

As Arthur Evans states ―In conclusion, I believe that it is not too exaggerat-ed to say that the novels of Jules Verne‘s Voyages Extraordinaires constitute a key socio-historical artifact in understanding the dawn of our modern age—not only because of their much-discussed literary status as proto-sf, but also because of their evocative illustrations. The shift from a 19th-century worldview to an early 20th one is evident both in the stylized con-tent of these pictures—the manner of dress, the facial hair, the Victorian

From the 1910 short-story

collection of Jules Verne entitled

Hier et demain [Yesterday and

Tomorrow)


―dream machines,‖ the Saint-Simonian portrayal of scientists as conquering

heroes, etc.—and in their actual published format….‖

Art Deco of the Future

While the popularity of Art Deco can be seen by the spiraling rates of col-

lectibles, some of which verge on the antique, some of which are merely

period authentic, there is a movement afoot to translate and incorporate the

Art Deco aesthetic into neo-modernism or what I call ―fantastic-futurism.‖

These creators integrate period Art Deco into thoroughly modern concepts,

replete with LEDs and advanced digitalization, or use the Art Deco form to

inspire even more futuristic creations.

One of my favorite examples of this is the work of the lighting designer

Richard Corrie who conceives of some of the most imaginative and inspiring

light designs which can be seen at http://lightengerystudio.com (check out

the ―Vortex Club Animation‖ as well). But, by far the best incorporation of

Art Deco into modern/futuristic design is Corrie‘s imaginative animation

called the palace. You may be able to access it at http://

lightengergystudio.com/flash/palace/Palace.htm. In Mr. Corrie‘s fairy tale

adventure one clicks on room after room to see his conception of the fairy

tale palace of the future. But notice how Art Deco furniture and lighting is

used – either as an inspiration- or exactly as if the futuristic princess were

importing Art Deco ―antiques‖ from a long distant past, and how beautifully

they integrate with design of the future. (Check out especially the second

floor room on the right). The animation is truly a treat to behold, and I

strongly recommend it. (Many thanks to Richard Corrie for giving permission

to share his work. You can reach him at 818-565-1033 to commend him

directly.

About the Author Barbara Billauer Bailey, a retired lawyer is the author of Baronial Bedrooms, The Kama Sutra of Grand Design. She can be reached

at [email protected]

http://lightengerystudio.com

http://lightengergystudio.com/flash/palace/Palace.htm

http://lightengergystudio.com/flash/palace/Palace.htm


Deco Discoveries: Deco for the priests in Brittany

By Clive Foss

Brittany, in the far west of France, has many attractions for the tourist: a varied landscape, rugged coasts, antique small towns with medieval church-es and quaint brightly-painted half-timbered houses, outstanding seafood,

crepes and cider and - if you like that sort of thing - vast German subma-rine bases from the Second World War. Most of its towns are extremely appealing, but not the large industrial Saint Brieuc on the north coast. Its traffic, whether on the crowded streets or the motorway that cuts through the town centre, its unattractive concrete blocks, and its general lack of charm and things to see, encourage the traveler to move on rapidly. One guidebook even describes it as ‗worth avoiding‘. In spite of all that, deco-philes will have a pleasant surprise and find a real deco gem here. The first treat will be in the centre, in the form of a splendid Streamline Moderne furniture store (I couldn‘t learn its history), but the real prize lies about a mile to the east, on the rue de Genève. This is the Grand Seminaire.


At first sight, the Seminary looks rather forbidding, its grey granite walls suggestive of a medieval castle, but the rays that radiate from the cross of the main door and the spirals attached to it give a hint of something special.

The surprise comes immediately in the tall vaulted chapel, bursting with color on the walls below the windows and the pillars between them, tempered by a floor of black and white and the rather sober furnishings. Everything is Deco - from the shape of the arches that support the roof to the marble pavement. Most spectacular are the altar, with its peacocks perching on stylized spiral vegetation and the geometric exuberance of the Stations of the Cross, each one with a different design.


But don‘t neglect the pavement or the interior doorway that combines the medieval with the deco. There‘s more to see in the crypt chapel, with its colorful frescoes and pavement.

The effect is overwhelming and makes one wonder what‘s the story of this place. It was built in 1929 by Georges-Robert Lefort (1875-1954), the

leading Breton architect of his day, responsible for buildings in a variety of styles, including another Deco gem, the railway station of Dinan, east of Saint Brieuc, built in 1932. The mosaics and pavement were the work of Isidore Odorico (1893-1945) whose father and uncle came to Brittany from northern Italy to found a firm that specialized in mosaics of all kinds - in the Roman or Venetian style, using marble, enamel or gold - as well as marble pavements. They were responsible for many masterpieces of Art Deco; the firm had a long life, functioning until 1978. The building and its decoration fit into the artistic and political movements of the time. Brittany is a very distinctive part of France. Its inhabitants, the

Bretons, speak a Celtic language closely related to Welsh, for their ances-tors migrated from Britain at the time of the Anglo-Saxon invasions and the


fall of the Roman Empire. The region was independent, under its own dukes, until 1532 and, though long joined with France, has often gone its own way, notably during the Revolution when it was a diehard centre of royalist resistance. In modern times, Breton nationalist movements started in the late nineteenth century and gained considerable momentum after the First world War. Part of this was the result of poor treatment of Breton soldiers, who often spoke little or no French since they came from a large-ly rural, isolated region. A desire to assert and validate a Breton identity led to the foundation of a cultural movement called Ar Seiz Breur, the

Seven Brothers, which aimed to produce a modern Breton art, encompass-ing all aspects of the arts and crafts from architecture to typography. They didn‘t simply want to preserve or revive the traditional, but to make use of modern techniques, materials and styles to produce something dis-tinctively Breton, but recognizably contemporary. Since the movement was growing in the 1920‘s Art Deco could provide the framework of moderni-ty. At the same time, devout Catholicism was a major facet of Breton life in a country that was resolutely anti-clerical. A general shortage of priests led to the foundation of seminaries, as at Saint Brieuc.

The mosaics should be seen in this context, making use of traditional Celtic motifs (often derived from Ireland) in a deco medium.


Even the pavement bears a message, for the black and white it uses were the colors of the nationalist Breton flag, known familiarly as the Gwen ha Du the White and Black. In other words, there‘s more than meets the eye in this chapel; but what the eye does see is really worth the visit.

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