GREAT GATSBY: ART DECO GLAMOUR
We can learn a lot from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. It is getting us inside the American Dream to take a closer look at 1920s life. It can teach us a lot about a style of architecture, art, and design that was popular during the time of its publication: Art Deco.
Just like the 1930s party boy Jay Gatsby, Art Deco designs are smooth with even surfaces. Slick concrete and steel were common building materials used for this style.
When it comes to Art Deco architecture and design, it has lavish ornamentation. The walls themselves may be smooth, but they are anything but plain. Chevron, zigzags, gold sunbursts, and other designs grace these buildings.
In terms of Art Deco architecture, we see this same concept realized in the forms of the buildings. No matter how many curving designs or golden accents adorn the surfaces, or how many parapets and spires are added to the rooftops, in the end, Art Deco buildings are structures that are monolithic in design. They are single, large-and-powerful structures. Art Deco architecture and design paved its own way as well, experimenting with materials like steel, aluminum, stucco, concrete, and glass. Art Deco is known for its geometric look. Symmetry and geometry are two of its defining features. But these rectangular, blocky forms are broken up with contrasting curves of ornamentation. It is the combination of these two styles that makes Art Deco so beautiful and unique.
It seems that F.Scott Fitzgerald was writing guide to Art Deco style. His works certainly reflects this style of architecture, art, and design.
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