Egyptian Influence on Interior Design

Egyptian Art's Influence on the 1920's development of 'Art Deco' and Contemporary Interior Design Today

The triumph of art over nature. Thus Egyptian interior decor, art, and design may be contrasted with the art of Greece and Rome during the ancient, classical era. This triumph of art over nature as exhibited in Egyptian art and design, however, did not merely speak to the fashioners of this national language of art. It was to later experience a resurgence during the American 1920's and the period's manifestations of Art Deco, as spawned by the capitalist, modern, and standardized qualities of that period's art and culture. The ethos of standardization and commercialization in contemporary, popular interior design of course still exists today in the world and cityscapes around us, and thus shows the continued and lingering influence of this ancient form of understanding the human body and the human construction of social space. (Collectics, 2004)

If Greek sculpture attempted to create a realistic portrait of the human body during the Classical and Hellenistic periods of sculpture, Egyptian portraiture is reflected in the contrasting hieroglyphic-like portrayal of the human body in a stylized, rather than a naturalistic way. Rather than seeing what is natural as good and what is unnatural as less artistic, however, it is important instead to consider the function and purpose of this style of Egyptian design, as well as merely compare its lack of naturalness to other forms of art of the period. Egyptian art's unnatural pairing of human and animal parts was reflective of its religious system. Its highly rigid interior home design structures reflected the focus of the Egyptian world upon the life of the dead, rather than the relatively transient existence of humans on earth. (Pile, 2004) Just as in Egyptian cosmology, God in the form of the sun died and was constantly reborn again and so were humans within their homes and tombs. The sharp lines of human depiction and sharp lines of furniture and spatial design mirrored the sharp lines of the pyramids and tombs.

During the evolution of 20th century American design, the period termed art deco was marked by a turning back to Egyptian styles of design, reflective of the period's eschewing natural ways of depicting the human body in favor more stylized forms. "Furniture, sculpture, clothing, jewelry and graphic design were all influenced by the Art Deco style. You can easily detect in many examples of Art Deco the influence of...Egyptian...influence. Modern elements included echoing machine and automobile patterns and shapes such as stylized gears and wheels, or natural elements such as sunbursts and flowers." (Art Deco -- Architecture, Retropolis, 2004) The machine, the unnatural became key, in contrast to the natural. The flapper's angular lines reigned, rather than the rounded Gibson girl.

It should come as little surprise that the birth of art deco coincided with standardized and commercialized forms of fashion, art and furniture becoming more available to ordinary consumers. With the death of Victoriana and customized, overstuffed and comfortable furniture that proclaimed wealth, cleaner and more modern styles that were quite literally easier to clean and arrange for the new, liberated and angular woman came into vogue. Geometric lines became inherent to the Art Deco design. Objects were simpler than earlier, more decadent styles such as the art of art nouveau. Lines streamlined and elegant in their angular forms and unnatural vibrant colors. Thus, the human home reflected the idealized human form of the era. Greater standardization also made primitive designs more important, as they could be factory generated. (Collectics, 2004)

The influence of art deco's primitivism and standardization of design can be seen as late as Andy Warhol's stress upon standardization and form over detail and embedded meaning.

Repetition of stylized images, much as with hieroglyphics, communicates meaning rather than a clear delineation of the individual style (The Andy Warhol Museum, 2002) However, the style still possessed some aspects of creativity and individualism -- cubism, in the works of Picasso, showed how stylized images could communicate powerful meanings and images in his works such as "Guernica." There was also an intellectual aspect to the rise of art deco. For instance, yet another reason for the stress upon Egyptian stylization during the era was historical -- King Tut's tomb was opened in 1922. (Art Deco, Antique Jewelry Online, 2004)