What Is Art Deco

[Dmitry-Afremov]

# What Is Art Deco? And Can Leonid Afremov’s Style Be Called Art Deco?

Today someone wrote to me in the chat and asked:

“Dmitry, Leonid Afremov’s style — is it Art Deco or not?”

And honestly, that’s an interesting question.

There’s the classic, almost Wikipedia-style definition of Art Deco. It’s considered decorative art. And that category includes not only paintings, but also architecture, furniture, design, installations — basically anything focused on visual decoration and aesthetic impact.

So technically, if you take a brick, wrap it in electrical tape, put a light bulb on top, someone today might call that Art Deco or contemporary decorative art.

But Leonid Afremov was a very different kind of artist.

He was a classical impressionist.

He painted with oil on canvas. Real paint. Real palette knife technique. He didn’t make collages, didn’t build artworks from random materials, didn’t take apart bicycles to create installations, and didn’t tape bananas to walls and sell them for six million dollars.

No.

He was an old-school painter. An artist of emotion, color, light, and atmosphere.

So personally, I do not consider Leonid Afremov’s work to be Art Deco.

Although today the boundaries of art have become so blurred that almost anything can be placed under the umbrella of decorative art.

If you ask me personally — Dmitry Afremov:

“What is Art Deco?”

I’d answer very simply:

It’s decorative art. Anything created to produce visual emotion, atmosphere, beauty, or to enhance a space.

And honestly, all art is decoration in some way.

You hang a painting in your home — that’s decoration.
You place a vase next to it — now you have an installation.
Add lighting — and suddenly it feels like a modern gallery.

So in that sense, even AI-generated art could absolutely be considered decorative art today, because its purpose is still visual emotion and aesthetic experience.

But there’s still a major difference between classical painting and modern art objects.

Oil on canvas is a completely different story. It’s craftsmanship, technique, tradition, and the physical work of the artist’s hands.

Everything else is more like experimentation around art.

But that’s just my opinion.

If you agree — or disagree — write in the comments.

[BlueJeansMike]

Interesting perspective. I can see why people might associate Afremov's work with decorative art since his paintings are so visually striking, but I also understand the distinction you're making between Art Deco and Impressionism. Art labels can get pretty blurry once you start looking closely at them.

[MrBean]

The definition here feels a bit overly flexible, almost like “Art Deco” is being stretched to fit any decorative concept rather than a historically grounded movement. It also comes across as if dismissing modern mixed-media or conceptual work is used more to elevate a personal preference than to really clarify the category.

[RustyTrail77]

Afremov has a stunning combination of vibrant colors.

[MapleRunner84]

I think you explained the difference really well. Labels can be helpful, but sometimes people focus too much on categories instead of just appreciating the work itself. I’m a young artist myself and was wondering — do you ever collaborate with emerging artists or accept submissions? I’d love to know if there’s a way to sell my paintings through your platform.

[PineStreetJoe]

I like your perspective that art categories should help us understand artwork, not limit how we experience it. Leonid Afremov’s paintings feel unique because they combine classical technique, emotion, color, and texture in a way that goes beyond simple labels. Whether people see decorative elements in his work or not, the emotional impact and unmistakable palette knife style are what make his art so memorable.