A blog of Chinese art, culture and design

The story of Chinese Art Deco begins in World War One, when trade routes between the West and the Middle East were disrupted by conflicts in Eastern Europe and Turkey. China joined the allied forces in 1917 and trade increased between Asia, North America, and Western Europe. As the flow of goods escalated between the allied nations, so did the exchange of ideas. Modern European design, in particular, influenced Chinese designers of the 1920s and 30s in seaport cities like Shanghai.

Known as the “Paris of the East,” Shanghai was the symbol of Westernized China. The city’s artists and designers were strongly influenced by French styles, and Shanghai’s art and architecture began to reflect the modern sophistication of the Art Deco aesthetic. When the war cut off the supply of Persian rugs to the West, American and European exporters looked to China for a new supply of carpets in the Art Deco style.

Chinese wool industries in coastal cities-including Shanghai and Tianjin-responded to American and European demand by producing high-quality carpets in the popular colors and patterns of the era. While traditional Chinese rugs were woven from a combination of undyed and naturally pigmented wools, Chinese Deco Carpets fused Eastern motifs with Western hues and styles. In the early twentieth century, chemical dyes imported from Europe increased the range of color that Chinese weavers could use, and enabled them to experiment with more modern designs. Advances in machine-spun wool weaving also allowed them to create denser carpets with more consistent surface patterns.

The production of Chinese Deco Carpets reached its peak in the 1920s and 30s and ended in the 40s, when the Communist Party gained control of China’s political system. Under Mao Zedong, exchange between China, Europe, and the Americas died down as the government worked hard to erase the effects of Western influence. The isolationism of the Maoist era has since given way to increased trade in the past few decades, and Chinese Deco Carpets have again made their way into America, this time as antiques.

The rich colors, high-quality pile, and short production period of the carpets make them valuable collectors’ items. Beyond their worth as objects of beauty, they also tell the story of an era of exchange between East and West.

Sources:

What the Wool Trade Wrought: Rug-Making in Early 20th Century Tianjin, Elizabeth Bergen, Hali Magazine, Issue 118, September-October 2001, pp. 102-105

Shanghai’s Art Deco Riches Revealed, Gary Jones, TIME Magazine, February 27, 2007

This entry was posted on Monday, April 5th, 2010 at 10:19 PM and is filed under Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.