08_The American Radiator Building © VIIIPhotography - Shutterstock.com.jpg
09_Entrée du General Electric Building © LEE SNIDER PHOTO IMAGES - Shutterstock.com.jpg

Art nouveau

Heir to the Arts and Crafts movement initiated in England by William Morris, Art Nouveau is based on four main principles: the refusal of aesthetic heritage, the rejection of academicism, the abolition of the distinction between major and minor arts, and the reclamation of nature as the sole source of inspiration. He is characterized by a repeated use of arabesque, asymmetry and curved lines associated with floral and plant elements. He renews the decorative language by making form, material and function coincide. His light, flowing forms are well suited to new industrial developments. Glass and steel were combined with traditional bricks and stones in a stylized decorative movement. In the United States, Art Nouveau is called Tiffany, literally "fine fabric". In New York City, it was not widespread, which makes its witnesses even more stunning. Fine examples of Art Nouveau include the 1902 Little Singer Building, whose finely wrought iron window frames are eye-catching. The 1907 New York Evening Post Building offers a more moderately sinuous version, with its three bays of wave-shaped windows. The CUNY Graduate Center is largely inspired by this style with its curved glass and metal canopies. But the Art Nouveau style can also be found in many small details such as the lamp posts in Central Park, the façade ornaments like this Medusa in Saint Mark's Place, or in the subway signs. The most beautiful Art Nouveau interior in the city, the Wisteria Dining Room, is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Art deco

In 1925, the first International Exhibition of Decorative Arts was held in Paris, celebrating the alliance of art and industry. Heir to Art Nouveau, Art Deco can be thought of as the art of reconciliation, a sort of mixture of cubism, expressionism, modernism and industrial aesthetics. It is the art of modernity, of movement, of speed, of jazz... it is the art of the Roaring Twenties and of Gatsby the Magnificent! Just as Art Nouveau abolished the distinction between major and minor arts, Art Deco gives pride of place to craftsmanship to create superb decorations and furniture in dark colours and soft materials. Treasures of marquetry, goldsmithing or ceramics, Art Deco is hidden in every detail, including door handles and sanitaryware! So, as soon as you enter an Art Deco building, take the time to observe all the details... Or better yet, opt for a guided tour with theArt Deco Society of New York

! The first great Art Deco building is theAmerican Radiator Building, designed in 1924 by Raymond Hood. Black as a lump of coal, it is crowned with a majestic amber and gold top. In 1929, another building marked the beginning of the success of Art Deco: the Chanin Building, whose delicate bas-reliefs on its base created by René Chambellan and Jacques Delamarre with friezes alternating animals and plant motifs will be remembered. In 1930, William van Allen inaugurated his Chrysler Building, an architectural splendor that boldly blends styles. Its Art Deco lobby combines exotic woods with marble and steel in an amber light. The ceiling is decorated with a work by Edward Trumbull, considered one of the world's greatest frescoes. The elevator veneer is made of Egyptian lotus motifs inlaid with Japanese ash, Oriental walnut and Cuban plum. At mid-façade are four pairs of gleaming steel eagles and gigantic winged hubcaps reminiscent of Chrysler car radiator caps. At the top, finally, is its 56-metre spire, recognisable by its concentric circles. A year later, the Empire State Building was built, with a slender silhouette reminiscent of Italian bell towers and a Gothic façade. But its lobby is a symphony of marble and geometric shapes, bathed in the amber light so characteristic of Art Deco. The ornamentation of the entrance to the Brill Building, built in 1931, is a superb example of Art Deco with its gilding in geometric forms. The General Electric Building is striking for the originality of its spire, a sort of lacework of stone, glazed ceramic and brick enhanced with gold, whose chevrons and lightning bolts represent the radio waves transmitted by the RCA, the building's first owner. The residential buildings also bear the mark of Art Deco, such as the iconic Eldorado on Central Park West, which takes its name from the ochre colour of its terracotta. Dynamizing the verticality by a clever play of redents, the building impresses by its two twin towers as if placed on the main building. The geometry of movement characterizes the Art Deco style, which finds its apogee in the Paquebot or Streamline Moderne style. Its smooth forms and its mixture of long horizontal lines contrasting with curved vertical surfaces make it a kind of aesthetic of aerodynamism... hence the reference to the liner. The Marine Air Terminal at La Guardia airport is a good example, with beautiful friezes representing flying fish. Another representative of this trend is the Mcgraw Hill Building, with its geometric facade decorated with blue stripes and topped with giant stylized letters... which can be seen in gold just above the entrance. The hotels are not left out with the Waldorf Astoria, one of the mythical places of the city. Its entrance is topped by the name of the hotel inscribed in a typically Art Deco golden lettering... Its facade has been listed and is therefore protected... but its interior is not... However, since 2017 the hotel has begun a major renovation phase and many people are worried that some Art Deco jewels will disappear, such as the ballroom or the mosaic in its lobby. To be continued..