Art Deco: Luxury and Influence
Edward Steichen is one of the most influential figures of in 20th century photography. His images have influenced generations of photographers and transformed fashion photography. An exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) pairs his work with a series of Art Deco garments that capture the luxury and sophistication of the period.
Fashion and photography have long been integral to one another. Photography has allowed garments to be drawn into aspirational narratives that adorn the pages of style-focused publications. fluoro spoke to Susan van Wyk, Senior Curator of Photography at the (NGV) about the exhibition, titled ‘Edward Steichen and Art Deco Fashion’, and the ongoing influence of the Art Deco period.
The exhibition has particular significance as a recent discovery made it possible. Van Wyk explains that “the works included in this exhibition have only recently been made available for exhibition and touring as they were stored, largely unknown, in the archives of Condé Nast Publishing.”
(f) How do photography and fashion interact within the gallery space?
(SvW) This stunning show captures the sophistication of the fashionable modern woman and the elegance of high-end fashion from this golden age of fashion and photography. These beautiful garments were often introduced to eager consumers through the pages of fashion and celebrity magazines using evocative photographs suggesting the glamorous life of movie stars.
In the 1920s and 30s, Edward Steichen was the innovative fashion photographer of the day, creating images that were imaginative documents of glamour, talent, and style. The installation of the exhibition is completely integrated, just as fashion and fashion photography are in real life.
(f) What do you believe triggers the notion for the design and style characteristics of certain periods, such as Art Deco, to resurface?
(SvW) Around the world the inter-war period, the 1920s and 30s, was a time of extraordinary social change. Modern life in the machine age demanded new ways of doing things and the artists and designers at that time changed our expectations and aspirations. Design was such an important aspect of the Art Deco period and many of things that were created at that time still have currency today. Their best works; fashion, decorative arts, photography, film, writing etc. still inspire people today and consequently we keep seeing them in new ways. But we shouldn’t underestimate the powerful attraction of nostalgia; the works in this exhibition are 80-90 years old.
(f) What is the Art Deco movements’ strongest relevance to the now?
(SvW) The style innovations of the Art Deco period have had a lasting influence. This is possibly most evident in the fashions of the period. Modes of dress changed; dresses were designed to slip easily over the head, skirts became shorter, dresses draped the body in ways that allowed freedom of movement, shoes became a feature, and women started to wear trousers in public. These are all still features of how we dress today.
(f) What is unique to Edward Steichen’s photographic style?
(SvW) In the early 1920s, Vogue was on the cusp of change. Publisher Condé Nast wanted his magazines to be innovative and modern. Bringing Steichen on board was part of a break from the past and the shift to a new look. For Steichen, engagement with avant-garde ideas had always been part of his practice, creative and commercial. In Paris in 1925, the extraordinary Exposition Internationale de Arts Decoratifs et Industriels heralded the arrival of Art Deco. Steichen readily embraced the aesthetics it inspired.
As Vogue changed, becoming more ‘modern’, so did Steichen’s photography. From 1928 he increasingly simplified the settings in which he photographed fashion, favouring pared back studio settings or the interiors of elegant modernist homes. In keeping with the ideals of the ‘new photography’ Steichen used sharp focus, dramatic light and shadow, and unexpected compositions. He developed fashion photography for the machine age, albeit a breathtakingly beautiful and elegant version. Steichen was a champion of modern style. He understood graphic design and used the innovations of contemporary art of the period in his commercial photography.
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‘Edward Steichen and Art Deco Fashion’ features over 200 of Steichen’s original vintage photographs, alongside more than 40 Art Deco fashion garments and accessories. The exhibition is on display at the NGV, Melbourne until Sunday 2 March 2014.
