Sunday, September 7, 2008

Sunday Art Review: Art Deco Style

Last night we went to dinner for an early celebration of my birthday at one of my favorite places in Palm Springs, Melvyn's at the Ingleside Inn. I love Melvyn's, not only for the fantastic food and service, but also for the ambiance. As a registered historic landmark in the desert, it is a slice of the past, as if time stood still. The walls still echo the ghosts of celebrities from the Golden Age of Hollywood such as Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Frank Sinatra, Liberace, Lana Turner, Lucille Ball and many more. As I sipped my cocktail in the lounge, I glanced at the black and white photos of movie stars on the walls and paintings of icons such as Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, all of whom had set also foot in this legendary establishment. I wondered what cocktails Greta Garbo sipped in this very building. Greta Garbo was an interesting woman, with a career that started in the 1920's, an era in which the Art Deco style was in vogue. It was a period of tremendous creativity, which became the inspiration for today's Sunday Art Review: Art Deco Style.
above: "The Great Event"

above: "Solitude"

above; "Mr Big"
above: "Gentile and Refined"
above: "Justice"
above: "The Fighter"
I hope you enjoyed this week's Sunday Art Review, with a focus on the Art Deco Style. Which were your favorites?
-Rick Rockhill
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16 comments:

  1. AnonymousSeptember 7, 2008 at 12:49 AM

    Happy Birthday, Rick! Did you pose for "Mr. Big"?

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  2. Rick RockhillSeptember 7, 2008 at 6:43 AM

    Thanks Dave- no, i wasn't the subject in the "Mr Big" painting but that does make me want to run out and buy a top hat!

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  3. Empress Bee (of the high sea)September 7, 2008 at 6:50 AM

    sounds like a perfectly lovely birthday rick!

    smiles, bee
    xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

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  4. AnonymousSeptember 7, 2008 at 7:33 AM

    I've always liked the art deco stuff, it is so idyllic.

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  5. A LewisSeptember 7, 2008 at 7:33 AM

    Happy 21st! What a way to spend it. I wouldn't say you look a day more than 20.

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  6. AnonymousSeptember 7, 2008 at 7:34 AM

    ps- I liked "the great event" and "solitude" best

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  7. kenjuSeptember 7, 2008 at 8:43 AM

    I like them all! Art deco (and art nouveau) is one of my faves!

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  8. OldLady Of The HillsSeptember 7, 2008 at 10:58 AM

    I am reminded of all the wonderful Deco Buildings with Sculpture and Freezes(?) built during the WPA Era...the Paintings, too....I LOVE "Deco"....
    Thanks for sharing all of these Rick.

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  9. limeSeptember 7, 2008 at 11:28 AM

    i've always liked the deco style. i love the mood in solitude and the colors in mr. big. this collection in general was really fun. thanks for sharing it.

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  10. OliviaSeptember 7, 2008 at 12:28 PM

    Oh anything Art Deco floats my boat. Interesting to see so many Tamara de Lempickas. But my fave is Mr Big because it is so imaginative and colorful. Indeed, I'm with Rhodester: that should be you in the top hat and tails.

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  11. AnonymousSeptember 7, 2008 at 1:02 PM

    Happy birthday! You don't look a day over however old you say you are!

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  12. AnonymousSeptember 7, 2008 at 2:00 PM

    What a fun art deco collection...The Great event so typifies the motifs commonly used in deco architecture...

    Have I ever told you that you remind me of one of my oldest and dearest friends, Dorothy Claire? (It's a nickname). Some day I need to get you two to meet. I think y'all would get along well.

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  13. AnonymousSeptember 7, 2008 at 7:41 PM

    thank you for visiting my blog...spread the word! cheers!

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  14. MattSeptember 7, 2008 at 9:20 PM

    I'm a huge fan of art deco, especially in architecture - thanks for these pictures!

    And have a very wonderful birthday, my friend - welcome to my decade. :)

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  15. AnonymousSeptember 8, 2008 at 5:58 PM

    Thanks for letting us in on Melvyn's, Rick. My companion and I are in the process of moving to Palm Springs. Maybe we'll see you at St. Paul's in the Desert... And cheers on your birthday!

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  16. LouSeptember 10, 2008 at 9:18 AM

    Love Art Deco. Went to a huge Art Deco show in Montreal years & years ago.

    Drop by my blog again any time.

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Thank you kindly.