Art Deco: Flights of Artistic Fancy (Art Movements) [Hardcover]

Smithmark Publishing (Author)

Book Description

Series: Art Movements | Publication Date: April 1997

This illuminating volume presents a beautifully illustrated history of the Art Deco style, from its early influences to the international heyday of Deco design in art & architecture. The term refers to a style that is classical, symmetrical, & rectilinear -- a product of influences as diverse as Art Nouveau, Cubism, the Bauhaus, & the arts of Egypt, the Orient, Africa, & the Americas. The Art Deco movement developed during the years 1908 to 1912 & reached a high point from 1925 to 1935. Even today, the style remains effective in evoking the elegance, luxury, & excitement of an earlier era. The book includes 100 full-color & archival illustrations.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

Western art has evolved through a wide range of styles, each characterized by its own unique philosophy and masterpieces. This series is a visual tribute to these formative movements in Western art and the artists and forces that created them.

Art Deco developed as part of the modernism of the 1920s and 1930s. Here is an in-depth look at this century's most unique art movement, and the artists and artisans who applied the style to everything from buildings to everyday objects. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Smithmark Publishers (April 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765194880
• ISBN-13: 978-0765194886
• Product Dimensions: 12.5 x 9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,656,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lovely & Educational Primer On Art Deco Art & Artists, October 26, 2002

By 

C. Michael Massey "litterateur" (St. Louis, Missouri) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Art Deco: Flights of Artistic Fancy (Art Movements) (Hardcover)

As the title of this review likely indicates, this is a very attractive and informative book on Art Deco-probably the first book I've read on the subject which focuses almost entirely on the ARTISTS of the period without delving too deeply into the social and political environments of the time. With Sternau, unlike other writers on Art Deco whom I've encountered, these socio-political elements become secondary to the work of the artists, architects, and craftsmen of the era.

My only real criticism of the book is its layout. Although it's positively filled with beautiful illustrations about which Sternau talks with obvious enthusiasm and authority, the images are frequently located several pages away from the text in which they're discussed, forcing the reader to search through the book trying to find the image in order to see and read about it at the same time. I think this could be improved upon by a re-designed layout or the inclusion of page references to simplify the search process.

I nevertheless believe it's a wonderful book for enthusiasts who want to expand their knowledge of the people responsible for actually CREATING the diverse styles we've come to recognize as Art Deco without once again having to plow through pages and pages of descriptions of the important, but by now much-discussed, social and political factors of the day.