Good Avant-Garde Playtime 1910’s-1930 Essay Example

The era that peaked my interest in the MoMA Century of a Child exhibition was the Avant-Garde Playtime era that occurred somewhere between the 1910’s and 1930. During this era, artists’ throughout the world began to shift their artwork toward a modern and childlike naivety. In previous decades, a very ornamental luxurious style was common in the aesthetics of design. The lighter, freer avant-garde look began during World War I and continued thereafter. Maybe the melancholic tragedy of war brought forth a desire for a new version of life to be displayed creativity in design.
An interesting common design feature of this era was the simplistic, bold colors that were used in items such as furniture and toys. I found it slightly amusing that many pieces, such as the furniture and toys resembled items that could currently be found in Ikea stores. I can see where the original modern style initially began.
I could see that the focus of the style was on basic lines, circle, primary and secondary colors. The idea of youth and a bright future are present when looking at pieces like Optical Color Mixer a toy made in Germany by Ludwig Hirschfeld Mack; Children’s Furniture by Dutch artist, Cor Alons; Child’s wheelbarrow by Dutch artist, Gerrit Rietveld. My favorite piece, which brought me joy as I looked at the beautiful transparent glass colors, was Dandahna- The Fairy Place by Bruno Taut from Germany. The toy looked so modern and sleek, it could be used as a piece of decorative art even in the 21st century.