Example 12: Erté (Harper's Bazaar Covers)

 

Erté. Harper's Bazaar August 1922. Poster. ERTÉ, https://www.erte.us/harpersbazaar.html

Erté. Harper's Bazaar January 1923. Poster. ERTÉ, https://www.erte.us/harpersbazaar.html

Erté. Harper's Bazaar August 1927. Poster. ERTÉ, https://www.erte.us/harpersbazaar.html

Erté's Harper's Bazaar covers were a huge part of the U.S. Art Deco scene as Erté brought high fashion and luxury from Europe into his designs. To me, he mixed styles of Art Nouveau and Art Deco. Art Nouveau used young female presences that were shown for their beauty and Erté also includes intricate and ornate details, however, his work is still Art Deco. He created fashion illustrations mainly to harp on the modern times using contrasting colors, geometric shapes and patterns, and flat illustrations that were somewhat like Japonisme but fit the same aesthetic of the Art Deco style. What makes his designs different where how he created with entertainment in mind as well as being precise and pushing boundaries but still keeping the modern and glamourous Art Deco style at the front of his work. Erté was also a major part of the theater world in the 1920s-30s which was when Art Deco again was most prominent. He mixed old and classic with new and exciting details that share the same Art Deco, modern characteristics that felt freeing and lively as theater productions usually showcase. I think this is an important example because I feel a greater sense of connection with not only magazine covers and how they can be so diverse but also the theater and how entertainment can be advertised. Seeing an artist be a part of different mediums or artistic realms is unique.