This research is the way in which the Art Deco period reflects the Aesthetic in Taoism and verify that the Art Deco fashion represent the Taoistic physical and spiritual world view. The research demonstrates that the Art Deco style from the interaction Taoistic artistic spirits occurring a century ago and suggests another view of analyzing Art Deco fashion.
The research through fashions in 1920s and 1930s when Art Deco style flourished and the methodology includes both literature search and case study. Reviewing related books, relics and preceding researches, I described the concept and origins of Art Deco, defined the concept and scope of the modernism and concluded that the Aesthetics of Art Deco connects to the Taoistic philosophy.
The Art Deco style which widely flourished between World War 1 and World War 2 was actively accepted among styles which were broad and diverse due to the historical reasons of the time. The Art Deco style was the major design trend in European and American art and architecture for 10 years between two World Wars. The name “Art Deco” has been used since 1960s when the style was first revived. Art Deco style was known as the Modern style in its golden days in 1920s and 1930s.
The practical, broad and popular style spreaded to every life in European countries especially in France, focusing on the practical aspect rather than the aesthetic aspect. The decorative art movement succeeding and developing Art Nouveau style when the massive system evolved began at the international exhibition held in Paris in 1925 and reached its zenith at the time when it widely spreaded in various ways influencing as far as America.
The art trend in Europe becoming popular in the 20th century such as Jugendstil in Germany, Art Nouveau in France, Modern style in UK and De Stijl in Netherlands have a common feature as follows. Since text, painting and graphic designs are created in one decoration, literature and formative art are combined in the new way and are given as a decorative totality which cannot be separated to spectators and readers. In this period, the art feature of the turning point of a century transcending the nation used decoration as the universal means of forming organized totality. The decoration combined individual, the power and strength of lines embedded in the Taoistic art around Japan motivated the European art creating the new aesthetic. The aesthetic of line existing in Japanese art was enough arise the new awareness of the beauty for the Western artists of the time and provides the recognition of returning to the nature to the Western people losing the humanity in the industrial society which are exactly the same as the Taoistic art spirit.
Art Deco means the practical, broad and popular style focusing on the practical aspect rather than the aesthetic aspect, and many scholars define the “simple and functional articles” of the Art Deco style as modernism. Modernism is the cultural variant secondarily created by the introduction of value of relative philosophy of the Eastern culture into the West. In addition, modernism makes the expression by the means of reduction. The purpose of expression of the design aims to the immaterial, paradox and converging properties which can be explained with the Taoistic worldview.