buildings

As a starting point for my visual research into Art Deco, I looked into Art Deco architechture.



Art Deco has it's roots in the visual styles that were discovered inside ancient temples and tombs such as the pyramids in Egypt and Mayan/Incan temples in South America. Tutankhamun's tomb, for example, was discovered in 1922 by Howard Carter.

The visual stylings of this entranceway wall have pyramid.

This door arch was clearly influenced by Mayan architechture and patterns. The angular, stepped style is reminiscent of Mayan ziggurat temples.

The ornate patterns surrounding this doorway look to have taken inspiration from egyptian wall painting, in particular the 'palm frond' style patterns at the sides and the coloumn tops along the top section.

Sharp, angular, stepped features are the hallmarks of Art Deco architecture.

Extravagant use of strong, hard, building materials (in this case marble) are a frequent element of interior Art Deco arcitechture.

The integration of smooth, regular curves (especially circular ones) into the harsh angles is another common feature of art deco architecture.

The Empire State Building and the Chrystler Building are two of the most iconic art deco styled buildings in the world. Both of them were built in the beginning of the 1930's.

The City Hall in Buffalo has one of the best examples of the use of ziggurat-like stepped structure.

The overly elaborate carved motif that make up the decoration on the back wall in this photo are reminiscent of the wall paintings and hyrogliphics from ancient egypt.

Dark woods, marble, and polished metal. Three common art deco materials.

Excessive use of circular curves and sharp angles. This bar is aclassic example of art deco.

An old bar, mostly still as it was when it was build in the 1930's.