Erte
1892- 1990
Biography
Erte was born Romain de Tirtoff in St. Petersburg Russia in 1892. "The only son of an admiral in the Imperial Fleet, he was raised amidst Russia's social elite. As a young boy, he was fascinated by the Persian miniatures he found in his father's library. These exotic, brightly patterned designs continued to be important to him and influenced the development of his style. He moved to Paris at the age of eighteen and took the name Erte, from the French pronunciation of his initials, R and T. In 1915 he began his long relationship with Harper's Bazaar, during which time he created over 240 covers for the magazine. His fashion designs also appeared in many other publications, making him one of the most widely recognized artists of the 1920s. He also designed costumes and sets for the theater. In 1976 the French government awarded Erte the title of Officer of Arts and Letters, and in 1982 the Medaille de Vermeil de la Ville de Paris was bestowed upon him.
Erte’s work has exhibited in prominent museums around the world including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum in California, The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England, and more. Erte is credited as being the originator of the Art Deco Movement and is the style for which he is identified." (Americanfineartgallery)
Erte’s work has exhibited in prominent museums around the world including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Los Angeles County Museum in California, The Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C., The Victoria and Albert Museum in London, England, and more. Erte is credited as being the originator of the Art Deco Movement and is the style for which he is identified." (Americanfineartgallery)
His Designs
Critical Analysis
"The designs created by Erté during his long and illustrious life influenced not only the world of theatre, film and fashion, but an entire art movement as well." (Rogallery) Erte found most of his inspiration while in Paris. His work was considered most influential in the 1920's. "He influence of his work as a result of the high visibility of this periodical influenced an entire art movement that was to become known as “Art Deco”. Throughout this period, the artist also created original costume and fashion designs for many of the era’s most renowned screen actresses, including Joan Crawford, Lillian Gish, Marion Davies, Anna Pavlova, Norma Shearer and others." (Rogallery) Art Deco was created to capture the verve and sex appeal of the roaring twenties. (ChicagoTribune) "In its day, art deco was considered too commercial, too embellished and, frankly, too popular to be considered high art like its more serious stylistic rival, the Bauhaus-derived International Style." (ChicagoTribune) "His design style was heavily influenced by the elaborate and glamorous costumes and sets of the Parisian Music Halls and this would become his signature 'look'." (Artdeco) "Bauhaus, the movement that married science and technology to architecture and design, flourished simultaneously, but the baby boomers were saving that for coffee grinders, toasters and first apartments. Bauhaus's simple severity suited someone holding down a first job or trying to cultivate a semblance of adulthood. Erté and Deco were dreamy and romantic, conjuring the sleek, sylphlike creatures we would never be." (Newyorktimes)
Future Trends
"Erté is perhaps best remembered for the gloriously extravagant costumes and stage sets that he designed for the Folies-Bergère in Paris and George White's Scandals in New York, which exploit to the full his taste for the exotic and romantic, and his appreciation of the sinuous and lyrical human figure." (Rogallery) "After a period of relative obscurity in the 1940s and 1950s, Erté's characteristic style found a new and enthusiastic market in the 1960s, and the artist responded to renewed demand by creating a series of colorful lithographic prints and sculpture. This luxuriously illustrated museum contains a rich and representative selection of images, drawn from throughout Erté's long and extraordinary productive career." (Rogallery) Erte was more than just a fashion designer, he was an artist too. He was an artists who liked to express himself by the things her would paint. He might of not had a "house", or knew how to sew, but "his cover illustrations for Harper's Bazaar from 1915 to 1937 put a new spin on glamour and turned women from hausfraus into femmes fatales with the stroke of a pen. " (Newyorktimes)
Works Cited
"Erte-Biography." American Fine Art Gallery. American Fine Art Editions, n.d. Web. 07 Dec. 2013.
http://rogallery.com/Erte/erte-biography.htm
Fair, S.s. "Tongue And Chic." The New York Times. The New York Times, 22 Feb. 2004. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
Emilio. "Erte, Art Deco Artists." Art Deco Artist. Art Deco, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
http://www.art-deco-style.com/erte.html
Brake, Alan G. "Modest Exterior Belies Art Deco Gems inside." Chicago Tribune. A&E Networks Television, 13 Oct. 2011. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-13/entertainment/ct-ent-1013-openhouse-littlevillage-20111011_1_art-deco-carbide-and-carbon-building-bank-architecture
"The Erté Touch | 1920s Art Deco - Today | FurInsider.comFur Fashion, Celebrity Fashion, Fall-Winter Trends | The Fur Insider." The Fur Insider. Thefurinsider, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.Erte. Symphony in black. Art Deco. Wikipaints. 7 December 2013.
Erte. Ace of Clubs. Art Deco. Wikipaints. 7 December 2013.
Erte. Adam and Eve. Art Deco. Wikipaints. 7 December 2013.
Erte. Adoration. Art Deco. Wikipaints. 7 December 2013.
Erte. Her Secret Admirers. Art Deco. Wikipaints. 7 December 2013.
Erte. Wonderful. Art deco. Wikipaints. 7 December 2013.
http://rogallery.com/Erte/erte-biography.htm
Fair, S.s. "Tongue And Chic." The New York Times. The New York Times, 22 Feb. 2004. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
Emilio. "Erte, Art Deco Artists." Art Deco Artist. Art Deco, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.
http://www.art-deco-style.com/erte.html
Brake, Alan G. "Modest Exterior Belies Art Deco Gems inside." Chicago Tribune. A&E Networks Television, 13 Oct. 2011. Web. 10 Dec. 2013. http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-13/entertainment/ct-ent-1013-openhouse-littlevillage-20111011_1_art-deco-carbide-and-carbon-building-bank-architecture
"The Erté Touch | 1920s Art Deco - Today | FurInsider.comFur Fashion, Celebrity Fashion, Fall-Winter Trends | The Fur Insider." The Fur Insider. Thefurinsider, n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2013.Erte. Symphony in black. Art Deco. Wikipaints. 7 December 2013.
Erte. Ace of Clubs. Art Deco. Wikipaints. 7 December 2013.
Erte. Adam and Eve. Art Deco. Wikipaints. 7 December 2013.
Erte. Adoration. Art Deco. Wikipaints. 7 December 2013.
Erte. Her Secret Admirers. Art Deco. Wikipaints. 7 December 2013.
Erte. Wonderful. Art deco. Wikipaints. 7 December 2013.