Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Streamline Moderne


1934 Chrysler Airflow sedan
Nash Ambassador Slipstream sedan.

A parallel movement called Streamline Moderne, or simply Streamline, followed close behind. Streamline was influenced by the modern aerodynamic designs,[14] including those emerging from advancing technologies in aviation, ballistics, and other fields requiring high velocity. The attractive shapes resulting from scientifically applied aerodynamic principles were enthusiastically adopted within Art Deco, applying streamlining techniques to other useful objects in everyday life, such as the automobile. The Chrysler Airflow design of 1933 was commercially unsuccessful,[26] but the beauty of the design, being functional rather than simply tacked on ornamentation, provided the lead for more conservatively designed pseudo-streamlined vehicles.

Streamlining quickly influenced American and European automobile design and changed the look from the rectangular "horseless" carriages into sleek vehicles with sweeping lines, symmetry, and V-shapes that added to their mystique of speed and efficiency.[27] Nash Motors introduced the modern fully-unitized body (monocoque) design for the low-price market in 1941[28] that featured fastback “Slipstream” models with high prow-like hoods, and art-deco "speed lines" in sweeping chrome grilles and parallel bar trim.[29] These aerodynamic-looking designs were applied by automakers and continued to be popular in the sellers' market after World War II.[30] These "streamlined" forms began to be used in the design of mundane and static objects such as pencil sharpeners, refrigerators,[14] and gas pumps.[31]

Art Deco celebrates the Machine Age through explicit use of man-made materials (particularly glass, stainless steel and the new plastics),[14] symmetry,[25] and repetition, modified by Asian influences such as the use of silks and Middle Eastern designs. It was strongly adopted in the United States during the Great Depression for its practicality and simplicity, while still portraying a reminder of better times and the "American Dream".[5]

Streamlining was geared towards simplicity, the idea that less is more. Eliminating elements that cluttered a given building, painting, or chair was the focus of this new development of streamlining. This simplicity is portrayed through the use of crisp, symmetrical geometric forms. Streamlining enables diverse furnishings to coexist seamlessly with in one space.

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