Art Deco

This semester I am doing the Art History: 20th & 21st Century module with the JC School of Textile Arts. I have chosen to study the Art Deco Movement, which happened between the world wars, 1920 to 1940. It is proving to be a most interesting period to study.

Since the summer I have been collecting images of all things Deco and have built up quite a collection I have been able to use in my assignments.

This silk georgette dress, 1920, was in the summer exhibition in the National Costume Museum in Winnipeg.

While in Wolfville, Nova Scotia I recognised their Art Deco style cinema. Like so many cities and towns across North America, in fact around the world, cinemas were built in the new style to be able to house the new popular form of entertainment.

Art Deco has shown up in the most unexpected places. In an earlier post I showed this Art Deco treasure stored in a woolen factory behind bales of wool, in New Brunswick.

Know as a total style, the Art Deco aesthetic was applied to literally everything, from flour sifters to car hood/bonnet ornaments, which meant everyone who had even a little money to spend could participate in the movement and be seen as modern. Finally art/craft/design came out of museums into people's daily lives and wasn't elitist.
Three cheers for Art Deco.

Architectural Feast - Yarmouth

When in Nova Scotia, any easy way to get a taste of the range of architectural styles to be found in the province is to visit Yarmouth. What a feast.

The information bureau puts out a great self-guided, walking tour brochure.

Ron and I set off on the tour once the soft late afternoon light was creating enough shadows to highlight the architectural details. We took a photo of the paragraph in the brochure before taking photos of the building so I have a little bit of information about each place as a reference to begin further study.

For those of you interested in Canadian architecture, there is an excellent book that focuses on what can be found in Nova Scotia.

Penny, Allen, 'Houses of Nova Scotia An illustrated guide to architectural style recognition', co-published by Formac Publishing Company and The Nova Scotia Museum, Halifax, 1989.

I use architecture as a resource in my art work. I see buildings as portals into the social history of the time. Acting as a detective and noticing the details, talking to the owners, and tracking down primary resources such as newspapers and diaries in local archives can build up wonderful stories to share through my work.

Hand Printing Blocks, India

This highly skilled craftsman carves intricate blocks for printing fabric.

He carves ancient designs and he takes on commissions for new designs. See the Canadian designs on the left. He is making blocks for a Canadian textile artist.