Smania Texture: a synthesis of International Style and Art Deco
The new Smania texture is a visual highlight on the principles of International Style and Art Deco. The elegant pattern of the texture encloses the essence of the company’s craftsmanship, to establish once again its exeptional capability of being the most classic among modern furniture manufacturers and most modern among classical furniture manufacturers.
The comparison between the two styles strongly influences the texture; on one hand we find the typical rationality of the signs of the International Style, that is a clear starting point for the development of details in a perfect union between aesthetics and function. On the other hand we find the speed, the movement and the impetus of Art Dèco, expressing the challenge of the 20th century artistic avant-garde in geometric motifs, that combine the modern world of machines with historic handicraft styles.
The result is essential synthetic and at the same time volumetrically aerodynamic geometry, turgid and opulent, Smania’s desire of recreating a luxury object in all its beauty and power. The interaction between precious materials and sophisticated shapes shows the power and the vastity of the cultural background. The Horizontal and vertical sequences of the texture draw square and curved lines in a pattern with a dynamic graphic, inspired by the modernism (modern style) but with an eye to ancient arts. This need of original languages in an exotic context, brings us to something completely new and different, always looking for authentic and formal languages.
The texture, synthesis of International Style and Art Deco, comes from shapes that have always characterized the aesthetics of Smania products and is reflected into a daring design, the result of the intense energy and a strong passion in every creation.
DEEPENING: International Style and Art Deco
The International Style was born in the early twentieth century, between the two world wars, and became a movement characterized by a new way of designing architecture. This was a period of great research into the functionality of spaces, volumes, and objects with a wide use of modern materials and a period of experimentation with the technologies used. From the rationality of the architectural sign, up to the details of the furnishings, from the choice of materials up to the choice of colors, everything is designed in the last detail to be a perfect union between aesthetics and function. Part of the International Style is the artistic movement of the Bauhaus, born from the homonymous school of German architecture, art and design which was founded by Walter Gropius. Bauhaus’s furniture features were the modern design seed: functional, simple forms and geometric objects.
Art Deco, born in Paris in 1910, is a transversal form of art that comes from Art Nouveau and involves, besides painting, many other minor arts such as decorative arts, visual arts, architecture, fashion and craftsmanship This movement born with the aim of opposing the industrialization-induced planning that had invaded all aspects of life. The new style abandoned the sinuosity and the naturalistic linear formulas, preferring geometric shapes and looking for the essentials and elegant forms. Art Deco is a synthetic and at the same time volumetrically aerodynamic style, turgid and opulent, probably in response to the austerity imposed since the World Wars and the resulting economic crisis.
