Zigzag Moderne

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Richfield Tower (1929) Richfield Building, Los Angeles, California (65013).jpg
Richfield Tower (1929)

Zigzag Moderne is a substyle of the architectural Art Deco if the classification established by David Gebhard is used (Robert M. Craig would define the style simply as "Art Deco"). [1] The Zigzag style was popular in the 1920s and was replaced by the Streamline Moderne in the 1930s. [2]

Contents

History

Gebhard traces the roots of the Zigzag Moderne to the works of Bertram G. Goodhue and Eliel Saarinen, as well as influence of the emerging International Style and the 1925 International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in Paris with its Frank Lloyd Wright's designs. He also notes the diversity of sources between the Zigzag and the succeeding Streamline style, with the latter inspired by the "machine aesthetic" of aerodynamic shapes. [2]

Characteristics

Golden chevron decorations on the Eastern Columbia Building (1929) Eastern columbia building - Flickr - jimw.jpg
Golden chevron decorations on the Eastern Columbia Building (1929)

Gebhard lists the following traits of the Zigzaq Moderne: [2]

Examples

Bleksmith [3] lists the following examples:

The skyscraper buildings in New York are (for example, the Chrysler Building by William Van Allen) are usually classified as Zigzag, [4] although sometimes separated into the "skyscraper style" (Rosemarie Haag Bletter). [5] Bleksmith lists, in addition to the Chrysler Building: [5]

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