Germany

Atomic Age pendant ceiling lamp made in Germany, in the late 1960s or early 1970s. The lamp shade is made of glazed ceramic. The vivid colors (of earth and fire), the organic lines and the circular shape, all shows the influence of the Atomic/Space Age aesthetics. The cord is adjustable. Atomic Age in design refers to the period roughly corresponding to 1940–1960 and extending in the 1970s, when concerns about nuclear war dominated Western society during the Cold War. The discovery and development of the Electron microscope had also a huge impact. Architecture, industrial design, commercial design (including advertising), interior design, and fine arts were all influenced by the themes of atomic science, as well as the Space Age, which coincided with that period. Atomic Age design became popular and instantly recognizable, with a use of atomic motifs and space age symbols. Retrofuturism is a current resurgence of interest in Atomic Age design. Free-form organic shapes also appear as a recurring theme in Atomic Age design, reflecting x-ray technology that was becoming more widespread and familiar in pop culture. These botanic designs influenced later Atomic Age patterns that included repeating organic shapes similar to cells and organisms viewed through a microscope. Vital forms, or abstract organic forms, were identified as a core motif.