Influences of Egyptian Art on Art Deco

Influences of Egyptian maneuver on prowess DecoA oration on trick Deco how it was educate ond by the uncovering of Egyptian finesse, to a greater extent specifically the findings at Tutankhamens grave.Explore how the capital of the United Kingdom order of battle of these findings was of great signifi shadowerce to the military mans of fake interiors in the 1970s and how many formu late(a)ers started to redeploy Egyptian motifs in their work. openingEgyptian art and externalise was very much centred on enhancive motifs and patterns for both large and small items. As Egyptian artefacts were uncovered and became know to mod civilization, their art tropes began to have an shape on innovational purport.1 This physical composition will commission at how these Egyptian motifs and throws became broadly influential on the art Deco heading in the 1920s and 1930s, as well as the revitalization of the movement in the 1970s. There will be a particular focus upon the artefacts found in the legendary tomb of Tutankhamen. done the capital of the United Kingdom exhibition of this work, its enhancive motifs spread into what we now know were the beginnings of the cunning Deco movement. It too had a strong make for on the resurgence of fine art Deco blueprints in 1970s home decorations and furnishings.The paper will be damp into devil main elementalisations, with the outset surgical incision human faceing at the familiar puzzle out of Egyptian design on blind Deco design. The second section will then look at specific examples of designs and designers to support the claims of Egyptian influence on graphics Deco design through the artefacts of the Tutankhamen exhibition.Firstly, though, it is worth mentioning a brief hi humbug of how Egyptian design began to influence modern design, oddly in the Western world. It was in the 18th century that Egyptian design first became wayable for furnishing inside British homes, mainly through the in fluence of Italian design at the epoch. This is when frankly Egyptian items were world utilize as designs within homes, including obelisks and sphinxes. As Western decree learnt to a greater extent well-nigh Egypt through the decipherment of the Ro assignta Stone, the opening of the Suez Canal and an exhibition of Egyptian artefacts by Belzoni in 1821, the trend for Egyptian design as a mood continued end-to-end the 19th century and into the early 20th century.2However, during this term much of the Egyptian designs were limited to copies or replicas of large, visible artefacts of Egypt. It was non until the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922 that the styling of Egyptian design began to really influence modern design. The artefacts in Tutankhamens tomb were of amazing quality and flair, and it is these artefacts that excite the artistic production Deco movement. Examples first appeared in architecture much(prenominal) as the Hoover build in London in 1931/3 2, which is inactive nearly today. umteen different aspects of design from this effect such as furniture, jewelry, and til now clothing were influenced by Egyptian design. However, it was the subterfuge Deco movement that took Egyptian motifs and designs and riding habitd them in a different way, preferably than exactly copying or reproducing existing designs. 3The artefacts of Tutankhamen over at a time more had an influence on design in the 1970s as they were exhibited in London. This sparked a renewed interest in Egyptian design and again clothing, furnishing and decorations were created in an Egyptian way of life.The next section of the paper will look at the general design similarities between Egyptian design, curiously the Tutankhamen artefacts, and the nontextual matter Deco movement.Influence of Egyptian Motifs on maneuver DecoAt first glance, the obvious similarity between Egyptian design as seen in Tutankhamens tomb and device Deco design is the work of d ecoration to cover as many different surfaces as possible. Egyptian designs were highly decorative, and this was a huge influence on the dodge Deco movement that used decorative patterns and design elements wherever there was space to do so. 4However, the term cheat Deco itself was non coined until the 1960s, and in the 1920s and 1930s the movement which is later known as Art Deco was more concerned with mixing the glamour of Hollywood with the orphic and spiritual designs of superannuated cultures such as Mayan and Egyptian.The concept of Art Deco was to do with forms, shapes and geometric lines which signified the rise of the machine age, the aeroplane and the automobile. However, they withal mimicked the geometric patterns found in Egyptian design and hieroglyphs.5 As 1930s Britain and the States were reaching a more advanced stage than modern hostelry had ever achieved, the style of Art Deco paid homage to this through its use of the Egyptian motifs the motifs of the pi nnacle of superannuated society.The influence from Egyptian design in addition had to do with a trance for the primitive and the primeval of ancient clock. The influence of the Tutankhamen artefacts can be seen in the adoption of pharaonic imagery in Art Deco, such as scarabs and cats.6 An article in Harpers Bazaar in 1928 showed this influence trailly by showing womens accessories of the time against profiled heads of Egyptian females.7There was a very clear influence from Egyptian design on the Art Deco architecture in cities kindred London and particularly Manhattan in the 1930s. Symbolically, the beginning of the era of skyscrapers is like the looming of the ancient Pyramids. There is a certain sense of mystery in such powerful and bossy structures, and this was certainly part of the Egyptian influence on Art Deco architecture at the time.8 Other designs in Europe more showed more direct influence from Egyptian design, with gain style apartments and buildings being plan ned in London, New York and Paris as a sign of luxury and sophistication.9Hybridism is any(prenominal) other area where Egyptian design has influenced Art Deco. Egyptian design was base upon a mix of traditionalistic and contemporary styles, and complicated decorative style with function and purpose. Art Deco also did this by mixing not and Egyptian styles besides the styles of other ancient cultures as well as the functionality and precision of modern design.10 Whilst Egyptian design was a hybrid of designs from the cultures and peoples that were prevail by the ancient Egyptians, so Art Deco was a mixture of the traditional and the modern from all over the world.Egyptian design was also distinguished as a social influence on Art Deco, because the discovery of Tutankhamen and the tombs wonderful artefacts represented a time when luxury, religious mysticism and a golden age were occurring. During the 1920s and 1930s people were still recovering from the ravages of the First foundation War, and they wanted to move away from those times of hardship into a new era of peace, fashion and decadence. Egyptian design was a perfect representation of such an era, and this is another reason why the Art Deco designs of the time incorporated Egyptian motifs.11The geometric patterns of Art Deco notwithstanding are perhaps the main focus of the movements aesthetic, and came not only from Egyptian design influences plainly from the influences of Cubism. It was the geometric patterns of Cubism mixed with the decorative aesthetic of Egyptian design that influenced much of the European and the Statesn movements of Art Deco during the 1920s and the 1930s.12A further design aspect of Art Deco influenced by the Egyptian, or at least the perception of Egyptian, design was the concept of female style. The 1920s and the 1930s were the start of a new era for effeminate style after the austere fashions of the early 1900s. Egypt, with its female gods and female opinion fig ures, is seen as a barometer of classic feminine elegance and style. Therefore, many of the fashion styles and interpretations of Egypt at the time were based on this idea of femininity. Nowhere can this be better seen than in the 1930s film version of the story of Cleopatra, where Cleopatra is played by Claudette Colbert. The movie was made on the tail end of the popularity of Egyptian-inspired Art Deco, or Nile Style as it was sometimes referred to in Hollywood circles. Colberts image as Cleopatra was far more about current Art Deco style than historic recreation of Egyptian design.13She even advertised her hairs-breadth in a curled Egyptian style and endorsed Cleopatra Egyptian-inspired dresses and gowns like those shown in the movie. Even the physical feminine style for women at the time of being tall and thin was similar to historical records of the feminine style preferable in ancient Egypt. Her costumes in the film were influenced by those historically enter for Isis. Bel ow is an example of this style, showing the influence of Egyptian style on Art Deco even in contemporary movie-making of the time. This may have been a film based on an Egyptian story, further Colbert was known for clothing modern styles even in such movies and this is reflected in the Art Deco Egyptian dress worn. Colberts Art Deco Cleopatra Look14The Art Deco movements use of Egyptian motifs and design was certainly launched fully by the discovery of Tutankhamens tomb in 1922, and this set off the recreation and interpretation of Egyptian artefacts and design in al some all areas of art and design. This ranged from costumes such as those knowing by Sonia Delaunay, the Egyptian Theatre by Grauman and the biscuit tins of Huntley and Palmer. most of these designs will be examined more closely in the next section of the essay. What all of these designs share is the sense of decadence, elegance and sophistication that people in demand(p) during this era and was expressed through t he use of Egyptian motifs.15Art Deco architecture was influenced by Egyptian architectural techniques in that it places a certain splendour on esthetics as well as functionality. This makes the architecture close set(predicate) in some ways to painting or art rather than merely the design of buildings. Art Deco buildings like the Egyptian buildings were highly functional, further not at the cost of style and decoration.16Jewellery of the Art Deco period was also greatly influenced by Egyptian design as well. The fascination with Egyptian culture meant that artefacts from Tutankhamens tomb were reproduced or at the very least elements of their design were used for highly sought after jewellery pieces. Although Egyptian motifs had been used before this time, this was the first time that they were used to such an extent in modern, fashionable design. Van Cleef and Arpels in Paris set tiny Egyptian figures in coloured stones into a diamond background, and Cartier knowing Egyptian-in spired clocks. A heavy use of previous metals such as atomic number 78 and gold as well as diamonds became more popular, inspired by the hugely elaborate and stunning gold pieces found in the tomb. However, this cause of jewellery became less(prenominal) popular after the 1929 Wall Street come down and cheaper materials were again used.17However, not all of the Art Deco movement was influenced so to a great extent by Egyptian design. The Art Deco movement in Paris was influenced more by the visit of the Russian ballet and the aesthetics that came with their performance. However, in London and New York the scenes, particularly architecture and interior decoration were highly influenced by Egyptian design.18However, towards the end of the 1930s the style started to become less fashionable, and tastes changed. The Art Deco movement though would be revived in Britain in the 1960s and 1970s, again when it was heavily influenced by the arrival of the London exhibition of the Tutankha men artefacts.The first stirrings of the Art Deco revivification in London were through retail styles of stores like Biba in Kensington. The ceramic designs of Clarice Cliff were still in high demand, and even the headquarters of MI6 has a number of Art Deco touches in terms of dilate and symmetry. 19However, it was the arrival of the Tutankhamen exhibition in London in 1972 that again sparked a revival of Egyptian-inspired Art Deco style. The sheer excitement and luxuriousness of the exhibition of these world far-famed treasures meant that Egyptian design once again became fashionable. The exhibition attracted around 1.7 million viewers in its year run and inspired the revival of the Egyptian inspired Art Deco movement that is sometimes referred to as Egyptian Revival Art.20This revival of the Art Deco was also a rejoinder to Modernism that had deemed Art Deco too decadent and had replaced the decoration with cleaner looks. The postmodern architecture and design began to pay homage to the decorative excesses of Art Deco and rhetorical jewellery, ostentatious sports cars and lacquered furniture once again moved design back towards a more decorative aesthetic.21It was almost as if the arrival of the Tutankhamen exhibition sparked a remembrance of the Art Deco style, and this created the first real collecting class of Art Deco in the UK. Exhibitions and retrospectives began to flourish and the movement was looked at again in a new light. It once again became fashionable as celebrities such as Elton John and Barbra Streisand began to collect Art Deco pieces. 22We have seen in this section how Egyptian motifs were one of the key elements in the Art Deco movement in the 1920s. The real spark of inspiration came with the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen by Howard Carter in 1922. The decadence and decorative supplication of the artefacts in this tomb appealed to the tastes and fashions of the time and became imbedded in the Art Deco movement. The archite cture of New York and London during this period is highly influenced by Egyptian motifs, as well as the furnishings, fashion and art.Although the movement was replaced by Modernism in the 1940s, the arrival of the Tutankhamen exhibition in London in 1972 once again created a demand for Art Deco designs that were inspired by Egyptian motifs.The next section of this paper will examine some of the key examples of Egyptian motifs within Art Deco design in the 1920s/30s and the 1970s in Britain and how they are inspired by the artefacts found in Tutankhamens tomb.Examples of Egyptian Motifs in Art Deco spirt and InteriorsThe Egyptian motifs appeared in Art Deco in the 1920s and 1930s most prominently in the architecture of Britain and America. In Britain, perhaps the best endure example of this Egyptian inspiration in Art Deco is the Hoover build in Perivale.23 Other good examples still to be seen in London are The Daily Telegraph expression designed by Ernest Elcock (1928-1931). Thi s building has huge, bulging Egyptian columns. Another building of the same era is the Carreras Building in Camden which features an imposing Egyptian colonnade. 24 The Carreras Building is influenced by the Temple of Bubastis, the cat-headed goddess. It had a sense of spaciousness and light to match the mystical feeling of the ancient temple, and was adorned with a wide variety of Egyptian motifs and designs.25In America one of the earliest examples was the Egyptian Theatre (1922) by Sid Grauman. However, many of the skyscrapers in New York built during this era have some Egyptian influence even the famous Empire State Building with its needle-like point and angulate edges similar to many of the needles found in antediluvian patriarch Egypt.26The rebuilding of San Francisco after the terrible 1906 earthquake was masterminded by Timothy Pfleuger. He built a number of Art Deco buildings including the Castro Theatre and the Telephone Building. Pfleuger mixed all types of ancient cul tural influences into his decorative works including Egyptian and Mayan motifs.27Interior design was also influenced by the Egyptian motifs from Tutankhamens tomb. The Harrods Egyptian escalator hall in London may not be the best example of Art Deco, that it shows how the influence of Egyptian design continues even as art movements change. The designer, William George Mitchell said that he wanted the stair end to be a walk in sculpture, a journey from the Lower Nile to the Upper Nile.28It is also clear that the areas where Art Deco was most prevalent tend to have the most examples of Egyptianized architecture. London has some, but the Art Deco movement was more prevalent in New York and this is where the largest submersion of Egyptianized buildings is located.The influences of Egyptian design could even be seen in the writings of famous literary minds of the time. F. Scott Fitzgerald begins one of his most famous short stories known as May Day with a sort of Mock Arabian origina tion of how New York will be reborn for the Art Deco. It establishes the splendor of exoticness within Art Deco, which is certainly something that Egyptian design can supplement to the mix.29This exoticism can be seen in the jewellery of the time, particularly the high-aesthetics of Cartier. As Bracewell discusses an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert museum on Art Deco, a 1925 chest of drawers case is mentioned as an example of this Egyptian-inspiration in Art Deco. The vanity case is the shape of a sarcophagus, and illustrates the exotic luxury that is synonymous with Egyptian designs in Art Deco pieces. The catalogue option for the vanity case reads as a veritable plethora of hedonic materials and decorative design Gold, platinum, carved bone, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds, onyxes and beautify interior with folding mirror, tortoiseshell comb, lipstick holder and cigarette compartment.30The Cartier jewellery epitomised both the visual design aspects of Egyptian design in Art Deco, but also the ethos and holy mans of the Art Deco movement. The jewellery was decadent, but because it harkened back to the ago and primeval culture it was not ostentatious in the same way as the Art Nouveau movement before it. The Cartier brand and its use of cherished materials using modern lines, but combined with ancient motifs and symbols, shows the glamour and outflow that Art Deco was trying to create.31The furnishings of the time were also examples of the almost Pharoah-esque aesthetics of the Art Deco movement. Two houses in England Coleton Fishacre and Courthauld house are excellent examples of the use of luxurious fabrics and different textured materials within Art Deco interior design. The influence from Egyptian design is less obvious here, and is more to do with the luxurious fabrics and importance of aesthetics that are stylistically similar to the ancient Egyptian palatial interiors. Both use clean lines mixed with good work, sensitive firing off a nd textured materials to create a tactile environment.The interior of Coleton Fishacre was designed by Basil Ionides, who invoked a Jazz Age feel in the house. dine rooms contained Lalique lights, and ornate iron framed furnishings. The sea-blue tabletop was clearly influenced by the colours within the Tutankhamen tomb. 32The initial movement of Art Deco was certainly geared towards the focal ratio classes and incorporated not only the influences from the Tutankhamen tomb but also the improvements in transport technologies and communication. This brought new and exotic materials to the market such as ebony, shark skin, mother of pearl, lacquer and tropical woods. This allowed for experimentation with new and exciting materials, but still paying tribute to the traditional and ancient cultures where they came from. The Egyptian influence was just one of these influences, although perhaps the most striking of all admit thanks to the artefacts found and the decorative beauty of the i tems in the tomb.The rise in consumerism reflected the break of the day of a new and wonderful age, and so it was only natural that elements of antecedently successful and respected societies would be included in design. With no society more famed and revered in the ancient world than Ancient Egypt this meant the design elements crept into many of the styles of age including the Chrysler Building by William Van Alen (1927-1930). beneficial as the pyramids of ancient times were engineering wonders that looked like they could not be built by the hands of humans, the modern skyscrapers of the 1920s and 1930s were designed to look like they were made by machines, with their huge heights and angular structures.33However, the movement changed somewhat in the later era of Art Deco and the revival in the 1970s, where again Tutmania took over and the demand from the masses for Egyptian inspired design meant that mass production techniques and cheaper materials were now used and the focus was less on luxury and more on the motifs and exoticism of Egyptian design. The designs became more like reproductions of Egyptian designs than inspirations within a distinct movement.Fashion throughout the Art Deco period though was perhaps one of the most heavily influenced areas of design. Delaunay was one such fashion designer of the Art Deco period who was influenced by Egyptian designs. She had always incorporated different styles into her work, including influences from Fauvism, Cubism and cultural trends. Her career sawing machine her develop from a painter to a designer, and it was in her capacity as a designer that she was involved in costumes for Diaghilevs version of Cleopatra (1917). Many of the costumes for dancers of this production could not be full recreations of Egyptian clothing, but instead were Art Deco pieces that hinted at Egyptian motifs through the scarves and other accessories for the costumes.34However, it must also be shown that there were a number of designers within the Art Deco movement influenced by other designs. Clarice Cliff marked her Art Deco with different social designs, but was perhaps most famous for her use of bold colours and Cubist designs. Although there are certainly some Egyptian influences in Cliffs work, it was her hybridity and blending of styles in pottery that made her a success in the late Art Deco period, and still makes her work sought after today.Cliff mixed themes from the Jazz Age and exotic elements of different ethnic cultures with elements of De Stijl and Cubism to create Art Deco pottery that was influenced by everything yet looked like none of the individual influences. The items she created were meant as household items and used materials that were less expensive than the opulence associated with the earlier Art Deco period.However, the concept of hybridity is certainly an idealistic homage to the hybridity seen within the great and Ancient Empires such as the regularization of the Egyptians . Their culture mixed together all of the cultures they had observed and the knowledge they had learnt, which was evident in their fine but elaborate designs. Cliffs design mimics this with its use of hybridity, and whilst visually there are few influences in Cliffs work to Egyptian design, her use of Art Deco hybridity is indirectly influenced by the hybridity of Egyptian design. 35 closely all of the major Art Deco designs have some influence from Egyptian design, either through their visual aspects such as Egyptian motifs or through the ideals of hybridity, exoticism, decoration and aesthetics. The designers that have been looked at in this section give a glimpse at both the visual influence of Egyptian design on Art Deco design as well as the idealistic influence. From the deep-sea blues of the table at Coleton Fishacre to the bejewelled sarcophagus-shaped case created by Cartier, Art Deco owes a great deal of its stylistic and visual appeal to Egyptian name. This is most evid ent in large cities such as London and New York where the giant architectural monoliths carry the motifs and flourishes of Egyptian design.Whilst Egyptian design was popular before the Art Deco movement, it was the discovery of Tutankhamens tomb in 1922 that really influenced the movement. The artefacts found in this collection were so mesmerising and unlike anything seen before that their style was sought-after as an escape from the previous designs of the late 19th century and early 20th century. This link to Egyptian design is not only in the visual aspects but in this ideal of luxury, exoticism and hybridity that epitomises Art Deco.The next section will conclude the paper, and look at the main points of similarity and influence between Egyptian design and Art Deco, and how this is particularly linked to the Tutankhamen artefacts.ConclusionArt Decos mark was to break away from the Art Nouveau of the 19th century and break the rule of not paying tribute to onetime(prenominal) styles, whilst still looking forward. Art Deco did this by looking at truly ancient motifs and styles from Egypt that was at once primeval and dazzlingly modern because of the distance of time between the modern era and the ancient era.36 The need to move away from the horrors of the First World War and embrace and new, elegant and decadent present meant that the 1920s were a place where decorative design took precedence. However, it was the discovery of Tutankhamens tomb in 1922 by Howard Carter that really caught the imagination of the public and pushed Egyptian design as a major influence for the Art Deco movement. Although the term Art Deco was not coined until the 1960s37, the influences of Egyptian design on the movement in the 1920s and 1930s can be seen throughout all aspects of design at this time.The Art Deco architecture of New York and London was heavily influenced by Egyptian motifs including the pyramid shapes, the decorative interiors and exteriors and the sheer size and dominating presence of the buildings themselves. The design aspects of furnishings, jewellery and even fashion were influenced by Egyptian design during the Art Deco period. The two styles have similarities in concept and meaning as well as visual appearance, with both styles being a synergy of different styles and techniques from the past and the present. This is why the influence of Egyptian design within Art Deco is so far reaching, with all the different materials and types of design being used in this movement.Also, both movements place the bulk of importance upon decorative aesthetics, with function outstanding but not at the cost of decoration. The use of precious metals, general and multiple design elements and geometric designs also match. Even the ideas of femininity were fairly similar as can be seen through Hollywood movies of the time and their use of sleek, tall women wearing clothes that enhanced their appeal as Goddesses or powerful, mysterious women.The movem ent was replaced by modernism in the 1940s, but it was once again revived in the UK in the 1970s with the arrival of the London exhibition of the Tutankhamen artefacts. Egyptian-inspired furnishings, decorations, jewellery and fashion became popular, and this era is often dubbed as the Egyptian Revival Movement. It coincided with a renewed interest in Art Deco, and shows the deep links between the Art Deco movement and Egyptian design not only in visual similarity but in design ideals and principles.In conclusion, the influence of Egyptian design on Art Deco both in the 1920s/1930s and the 1970s was significant, constituting not only a visual influence on the movement but a stylistic and symbolic significance. Although Art Decos primary style of geometric patterns and lines was perhaps more heavily influenced by Cubism, the decorative aesthetics of Egyptian design brought many of the design aspects and motifs that we associate with the Art Deco movement.Bibliographytwentieth CENTURY LONDON. (2008) Art Deco Style. (Online). Available at http//www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk/server.php?show=conInformationRecord.72 (Accessed 25th October 2008).BINNEY, M. (2007) vibrant motifs from the old world found new life in Art Deco. The Times, November 15th, 2007. 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