Confusion about Art Deco and Depression styles is common even among scholars who fail to notice the significant differences in the artistic directions. Art Deco is a French stylistic trend that stems from the Lalique, Art Noveau, and works of the famous artist Picasso. In contrast, the Depression style presents the difficulties of poor mental states of working people and seeks for them to find comfort in Depression art. Overall, even though the aforementioned artistic directions are sometimes mixed into the Deco style, they are entirely different and carry distinct meanings to society.
To elaborate, the styles are dissimilar in their primary characteristics, materials, colors, and shapes. Thus, Art Deco is more provocative with bright tones and attractive ornaments, such as triangles, zigzags, and even trapezoids. This direction is loud and eye-catching, considering that the art is in some way chaotic with all its different motives and influences, but still beyond outstanding. Furthermore, Art Deco is about manufactured materials when it comes to sculpture and architecture, which is evident from the interior of Radio City Music Hall at the Rockefeller Center (Soren, 2018).
In contrast, the Depression direction pertains to negative or melancholic feelings, as presented in the design of Hotel Ambassador in Bucharest (Soren, 2018). Moreover, the art is rather minimalistic and less provocative compared to Art Deco since it does not particularly burst with color and countless geometric influences. In fact, as the founder of the Depression style, Raymond Loewy, says, the style is appropriately balanced between the lack and outburst of detail (Soren, 2018). By and whole, Art Deco and Depression differ in their characteristics and their meanings as they bring unlike messages to the viewers.