Italian Art Deco
Reviewed by Jim Sweeney
The Italian version of Art Deco design was "at once raucous and elegant," say designers Steven Heller and Louise Fili. They illustrate that with more than 500 examples in their book Italian Art Deco: Graphic Design Between the Wars (Chronicle Books, $16.95 paperback). Many of the images are from Italian sources and haven't been published here before.
One characteristic of Italian Deco is "bold typography and streamlined imagery." The images, especially in books and posters, resemble Russian Constructivism in their layouts, which break out of the traditional grid.
After reading the book, you can't forget some of the striking designs. A logo for an insecticide shows a bee being struck dead by lightning. A toothpaste poster shows a heavily shaded face; the gleaming teeth spell out the brand name.
Italian Art Deco was strongly influenced by Futurism and Fascism. Graphically striking images often contain disturbing themes: "Deco depictions of Fascist blackshirts made thugs look snappy and stylish." A 1932 textbook cover depicts kids giving the Fascist salute. Fascism projected an image of youth and modernity, and Art Deco suited those purposes. Mussolini was very concerned with graphic imagery, and often criticized poorly designed banners and posters.
Heller and Fili cite Campari as having extraordinary graphic taste. The firm's designs were often done by Italy's leading artists, especially Fortunato Depero. His cubist drawings are among the books most memorable images.
Automobiles seem to appear more frequently in Italian Deco graphics than in Deco graphic in general. The authors note that, "In their reverence for speed the Futurists imbued the automobile with the power of a religious icon, devoting poems, paintings and graphics to it." They also note that, in the 1920's, Fiat was Europe's largest auto maker, and the first to open a special advertising department.
Airplanes were also a frequent motif. Aside from their obvious imagery of speed, their use was also influenced by the fact that Mussolini was very interested in aviation. A poster for a 1933 aviation exposition shows the silhouettes of planes, with Mussolini's face looming in the background.
This article originally appeared in Trans-Lux volume 11, number 3, November 1993.
Where to Find the Book
You can find Italian Art Deco in local bookstores or purchase it on-line at a discount from Amazon.com Books.
ADSW offers this book in association with Amazon.com Books and receives a small commission on sales referred to them.
Comments
Created Saturday, May 02, 1998; Modified Thursday, September 18, 2003.
