One example of organic forms in design would be this 1946 chair, one of many designed by Charles and Ray Eames in the postwar period. This contrasted the previous dominant design aesthetic, in which “machines were revered as technical marvels and artistic icons, cars, airplanes, and locomotives were celebrated in ordinary objects such as radios, clocks, and pencil sharpeners” ( 4). Organic design often employs “materials found in nature prevalently curvilinear” shapes ( 3). This style used “shapes inspired by nature…to evoke living entities, ranging from amoebas and plant life to the human figure” ( 2). Organic forms were another hallmark characteristic of Atomic Age design. Regardless of the precise motivation, the emergence of nuclear iconography in the home shows that the atom-with all its potential applications-was on the minds of everyday Americans. Perhaps it was both, as Americans tried to contend with the complex implications of this new technology. Others believe that this trend reflected the optimism some Americans held toward the peacetime applications of atomic science, particularly its potential role in replacing coal and fuel as a source of electricity. Some speculate that the lighthearted visual appropriation of the atom in domestic objects was a way of taming anxieties over the destructive power of atomic weapons. Other examples include this wallpaper or the lighting fixtures to the left and below. George Nelson’s 1949 Ball Wall Clock is a famous example of this. Some of these pieces drew inspiration from the structure of the atom itself, and incorporated visual representations of the atom as a motif. Many of these homes featured interior decorative elements inspired by the Atomic Age. The new suburban homes constructed in this period were often modern, “simpler more streamlined” than their predecessors ( 1). In the aftermath of World War II, the United States underwent a period of mass suburbanization. Spanning the late 1940s through about 1960, Atomic Age design is characterized by references and responses to nuclear science and the atomic bomb. The development of nuclear weapons had a notable impact on many aspects of American culture, including design.
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