Friday 12 June 2020

British thirties coastal culture














I've just finished reading this interesting book and I feel it should have been titled 'The British seaside in the thirties'. Though the art deco aspect does contribute to the editorial there are sections where the deco term could only be very loosely be applied. The chapters on buildings, interiors and transport cover the deco feel, especially commercial and domestic architecture which get a good showing (incidentally open Street View and go to Waltham Way, Frinton-on-sea where there are some still standing examples of houses) interiors obviously doesn't reflect a seaside look but new materials allowed furniture designers to be creative with the design of casual chairs though I don't consider Dryad or Lusty furniture anything to do with deco.

The chapters on paintings, fabrics, ceramics and the quest a healthy outdoor life, which take up about half the book, struggle to get any deco involvement but are obviously connected to the British seaside in the thirties. The book is an addition to an exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts (held in the first six months of 2020) where the author, Ghislane Wood is a Deputy Director. She was a co-author for an extremely thorough illustrated study on art deco published by the V&A in 2003.

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