Henry Delacroix

These 48 color plates are paintings by architects from the early 1930s in France. They represent drawings for clients mostly in the ile-de-france, but also the south. They express the joy of Art Deco, which is far brighter and cleaner than the cluttered and overstuffed Victorian/Beaux Arts era. The introduction explains it as forward looking, as opposed to jamming apartments with antiques. You can only do that so long, and Art Deco was the whipsaw reaction: minimalism as relief. The lines are clean and squared. The organics left over from Art Nouveau add a balance of grace. No gathered brocade drapes here.

What you will see is architects attempting to make tiny Parisian apartments feel large. They take advantage of the naturally high ceilings of beaux arts buildings, and reinforce that with extra low furniture and furnishings. It has the exaggerated look of Frank Lloyd Wright interiors, except his furnishings were so low because his ceilings were so low.

Thanks to Dover for once again finding and rehabilitating a gem from the past.

David Wineberg… (altro)