This week, we used our decorative painting expertise to bring to life an Art Deco motif and give unique character to an Adirondack chair. For the second year, Painting in Partnership from Chicago’s Northwest suburbs, was a sponsor for the “Chairs of Palatine” community event, organized by the Palatine Chamber of Commerce.
The passion flower was used as the central motif of our painting. There are about 500 species of passion flowers (Passiflora) and are found all over the world. There are nine species that are native to the United States. The plants generally grow as vines, although there are shrub varieties as well.
The passion flower got its name not from reference to love, but to the Passion of Christ. Legend has it that a Jesuit scholar living in Italy in the early 1600’s, upon viewing drawings of the flower, had a vision likening the parts of the flower to the elements of the Crucifixion.
Incorporating “period” motifs into contemporary settings is part of Painting in Partnership’s commitment to historical restoration and preservation. Art Deco is one of those period design styles. It originated in France in the 1920’s and flourished in America through the end of World War Two. The Art Deco style influenced architecture, industrial design, decorative finishing, graphic arts, film and even fashion.