How does one recognize Art Deco artistry?

Answer 1

Art Deco is a little hard to describe. Basic traits of Art Deco are streamlined geomectrical patterns (but not absolute shapes) and often some sort of Sheen or Shine to the art work. If you know what the Chrysler Building in New York, New York looks like, then that is a very prominant piece of Art Deco in Architecture. You can also find Art Deco in anything from paintings to furniture.

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Answer 2

Bold Shapes, Big circle windows, think of the architechture in South Beach. For images of this do a yahoo image search for art-deco, and/ or South Beach Buildings.
Simple but bold, minimalist but colorful and full of curves. Like the 50's furniture or a classic Chevy with fins.
It's like building with colorful blocks and shapes. Opaque colors. Simple shapes.
Quoted from Answers.com: "Influenced by Art Nouveau, Bauhaus, Cubist, Native American, and Egyptian sources, the distinguishing features of the style are simple, clean shapes, often with a “streamlined” look; ornament that is geometric or stylized from representational forms; and unusually varied, often expensive materials, which frequently include man-made substances (plastics, especially bakelite; vita-glass; and ferroconcrete) in addition to natural ones (jade, silver, ivory, obsidian, chrome, and rock crystal). Typical motifs included stylized animals, foliage, nude female figures, and sun rays."

Answer 3

any old movie theater will get you started and ask the owner of the place for other dated pieces in your area to see, most cemeteries and downtown iron decoration are caste in relief all jewelery is very profound in character to study at library, sub ways, train stations, once you start to recognize it you have it down perfect and will see it everywhere.