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"QUANTUM SHOT" #872
Link - article by Avi Abrams




Wings, Gears, Glamorous Ladies in Glorified Imperial and Industrial Settings = Quintessential Art Deco

Mainly prevalent in the 1930s across the globe (some of the best examples existing in Germany, Russia and even Japan), the endlessly fascinating Art Deco style had a lot to say about trappings of a benevolent Empire and the unchecked march of the industrial progress - including, but not limited to, the assumed "total approval" response of the subverted masses... and the artist's Ultimate Duty to glorify the State; to sing the "Body Electric" till something breaks down, or the whole thing comes down with a mighty crash (the fate that befell all Imperial Dreams, in less than a decade)


(left image: 1930s actress Lois Moran, via; right: The Austin Company ad, 1930 "Speed: the World Salutes Each New Victor!", via)


This beautiful metal cup (left image below) exemplifies Art Deco esthetics: you get a scarcely clad female, wings (sometimes these will be seen on a human depicting an angel of sorts, sometimes the same glorious wings will extend from a piece of machinery, say, a car, a locomotive, or maybe just a bunch of gears, factory tools, etc.), and a touch of cold metal to finish it off -


(images via 1, 2)

The middle image shows a "mystery pitcher" found at the antique store, while the intriguing photo on the right unveils "Art Deco Pixie Girl Bookends" - instant love affair!


Soviet Art Deco Silver Glass Holders

Soviet Art Deco glass holders also featured vintage 1930s Imperial (Totalitarian) designs - these are now hard-to-find, desirable items for collectors (made predominantly from silver, to fit a standard Russian glass shape used for tea, as well as vodka, whatever the occasion):






(images via 1, 2)


Called "podstakanniki" in Russian, these unique objects came in wide variety of designs, some based on ancient Russian folklore, some on typical Communist propaganda tropes, but some were of the highest Art Deco esthetic pedigree - exciting examples of totalitarian propaganda combined with orgiastic exaltation of Soviet industrial progress:




Here are the examples of the Art Nouveau-style and Russian folk style "podstakanniki":





Floating planes were all the rage in the 1930s, and this beautiful Art Deco poster testifies of the spirit of adventure associated with them:


(image via)


And we finish with the most endearing vintage French "Fairground Art Bumper Car" (via "La collection d’art forain de Fabienne et François Marcha") - quintessential Art Deco lines and curves are fully on display here:


(image credit: La collection d’art forain de Fabienne et François Marcha)


CONTINUE TO "AIRSHIP DREAMS"! ->

Also Read: "Art Deco Skyscrapers"





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YOUR COMMENTS::

2 Comments:

Anonymous Billy Joe said...

Lovely art work there. It looks refreshingly different.

___  
Blogger Matt the Muss said...

I am pretty sure the "beautiful metal cup" was the original World Cup.

___  

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