Which statement about Art Deco's influence is true?

Which statement about Art Deco's influence is true?

• A. Art Deco led directly to Memphis.
• B. Art Deco promoted minimalism with no ornament.
• C. Art Deco rejected any influence on Modernism.
• D. Art Deco contributed to the evolution toward Modernism.

Answer: (D)

Art Deco sits at a turning point in design history, mixing geometric ornament with modern, machine-age ideas. It embraced new materials and streamlined forms that celebrated progress and industrial production, which helped push design toward a cleaner, more functional modernist language. In that sense, Art Deco contributed to the evolution toward Modernism by validating a modern aesthetic that values clarity, symmetry, and new technology, while still retaining decorative flair that later gave way to even plainer, more utilitarian styles. The other statements don’t fit because Art Deco isn’t about no ornament or pure minimalism, and it didn’t reject Modernist influence; the movement actually helped shape and steer modern design concepts that followed. It also did not directly lead to Memphis, which is a later, postmodern group with a very different attitude to decoration.

Art Deco sits at a turning point in design history, mixing geometric ornament with modern, machine-age ideas. It embraced new materials and streamlined forms that celebrated progress and industrial production, which helped push design toward a cleaner, more functional modernist language. In that sense, Art Deco contributed to the evolution toward Modernism by validating a modern aesthetic that values clarity, symmetry, and new technology, while still retaining decorative flair that later gave way to even plainer, more utilitarian styles.

The other statements don’t fit because Art Deco isn’t about no ornament or pure minimalism, and it didn’t reject Modernist influence; the movement actually helped shape and steer modern design concepts that followed. It also did not directly lead to Memphis, which is a later, postmodern group with a very different attitude to decoration.