The retro compositional element alludes to the past.
Retro is a compositional element that comes from Latin and can be translated as “backwards” . When this element is added to a term, it indicates that it is linked to something from the past .
Retroactive , for example, is something that influences an issue that has already happened. A retroactive law , in this sense, allows us to judge an event that occurred in the past, when the law in question did not yet exist.
A retrospective , on the other hand, is an exhibition that aims to exhaustively review the career of an artist. If we take into account what has been said about the retro compositional element, we can say that a retrospective is a look “backwards” at the career of a painter, a sculptor, etc.
Feedback (the return of part of a system's output to its own input) and backhoe (an excavator that digs from top to bottom) are other notions formed with the compositional element retro.
The retro style
The idea of retro is also used as an adjective to describe something that is typical of the past and that, therefore, is out of fashion . A man who goes out to the street with a tailcoat, a coat, a monocle and a pocket watch to go shopping has a retro look: it is not common for a person to dress that way in everyday life in the 21st century and use the mentioned elements.
It should be noted that retro aesthetics can also constitute a current trend : although it is a paradox , with its obvious allusion to the past, it can become something modern or avant-garde.
The retro style imitates the aesthetics prevalent decades ago.
Its importance in decoration
Within the field of decoration, the so-called retro style has gained special prominence in recent years, as it has established itself as a trend. A house or premises with this appearance evokes what homes and establishments had during the period between the 1950s and the 1980s .
Specifically, decorating a space with a retro style means complying with the following keys:
- A combination of soft and strident colors is produced.
- Prints with geometric motifs take center stage.
- The rugs have a notable presence, especially the fur ones.
- Decorative objects inspired by past decades and furniture with straight lines are also important to be present.
- Wood has to be combined with other materials, such as glass.
From retro to vintage
In the same way, we must not overlook that within the field of decoration it is common for the terms retro and vintage to be used with the same meaning. However, that is a mistake.
Although they are confusing, they are different styles, in that what vintage does is directly make use of old furniture, materials and elements, original from the period between the decades of the 20s to the 80s . Compared to this, the retro look is inspired by that time but all the elements used are current.