Father of the Modern Poster

Cheret, Jules - Taverne Olympia (pl 217)

Taverne Olympia advertisement, ca.1896-1900

Jules Chéret, lithographer and painter who created posters for cabarets, theatres, music halls and various other advertisements of the day, was born on May 31, 1836. Why I include him here in this blog is because of his very colorful and well-designed approach to his posters, which are both works of art and effective advertisements. Capturing the spirit of the late 1800's, known as the Belle Époque, Chéret took his influences of the Rococo and made it into something fun and eye-catching without being tacky or melodramatic. In fact, Chéret displays an uncanny ability to utilize colour harmony with effortless charm, and his drawing style is based on a Classical sensibility but slightly exaggerated for the sake of entertainment.

In the above example despite its simplicity we see design elements at work, from the way her dress points downward to the restaurant info to the way the two figure's glasses are raised unevenly to heighten the name above in bright yellow font. The way her hat covers up part of the bottom font of Taverne is a design element commonly used to this day on the cover of magazines throughout the world.

Vin Mariani advertisement, 1896-1900

Here the main figure in yellow forms a dynamic x-shape against a blue background. Her left knee points toward the description, while her left arm curves as it pours the wine, mimicking the curve of the letters above her, and her dress points upward to reinforce the title. The faded figure behind her raises her glass up and also reinforces the unique title which is in bold red with black outlines...Chéret knew that the name of this product would not be easy to remember and made the design of the poster revolve around remembering Vin Mariani.

Cheret, Jules - Quinquina Dubonet (pl 29)

Quinquina Dubonnet advertisement, 1895

I love the subtle complementary colors in this composition, with another dynamic figure indicating the information with her dress and arms. What he did here with the coloring of the letters is particularly clever in that the first letters in red and in the remaining letters of the aperitif catches our eye and directs it back to her hair, which redirects back to her dress and arms and the whole composition. As painters we can learn much about using color here to direct the eye towards key elements of the composition.

Below are some of Chéret's drawings, which are again fun, charming and very eloquent...

Cheret, Jules - Woman with Fan (lithograph, 1896)

Cheret, Jules - Spring Flower (lithograph, 1897)

Cheret, Jules - Summer Concert (lithograph, 1896)

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Isaac Levitan, Russian Poet of Nature

Before the Storm, 1890 Born August 30, 1860, Isaac Ilyich Levitan was a Russian landscape painter. Born in Congress Poland to a Jewish family, Levitan would study art in Moscow where he would become friends with Anton Chekov and his brother, Nikolay who was also an artist. Levitan's work has a unique mood that is very distinct from the Impressionism of France and the Classicism of Russia...sometimes compared to Monet but still different. Levitan has a rare presence with astute attention to detail and a fascination with light at different times of day. At times highly accurate, while in his more personal work deeply Impressionistic and imbued with rich tone and color. There is something about Levitan that lingers in your mind long after seeing his work...in a way that is individual and personal, not attached to a specific genre or movement, but to the world around him. In Before the Storm , Levitan captures a moment so stunning it seems to defy words...of sunlight piercing ...

More Old Master Drawings

There is nothing in all the world more beautiful or significant of the laws of the universe than the nude human body. Robert Henri Charles Louis Müller , A Standing Female Nude Leaning Against an Arch, ca.1864 Once again I decided to talk about some Old Master drawings and delve into the thinking behind how these drawings may have been created and the knowledge of the artist. In the above drawing by Müller, done in sanguine with white chalk highlights, the figure is drawn from a low view-point, with her body twisting toward her left side while resting on one knee. Note how Müller alternates the bent right leg with the bent left arm to create dynamic contrast. The right arm is also foreshortened and partially in shadow. Expressing power and femininity, this is a study that is Renaissance in spirit, even Mannerist, revealing the female nude as sculptural yet always graceful. Anton Raphael Mengs , Seated male nude viewed from the back, 1755 One of several Academic nu...

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Italian landscape, ca. 1645 Born around 1615 in Utrecht, Netherlands, Jan Dirksz Both was a painter and etcher whose dramatic landscapes influenced Dutch painting deeply. Both spent time in Rome and Venice where he discovered several Masters, including the vibrant landscapes of Claude Lorrain. Where Lorrain used Classicism heavily in his paintings, with Roman architecture and figures, Both concentrated more on the luminous effects of light and elevated trees to a noble kind of natural architecture. Both also created atmosphere and mood with perspective in a way that not only depicts a view, but invites us to share a beautiful moment of fleeting sunlight. In Italian landscape above, Both leaves much of the foreground in shadow, something most landscape painters would never do. Note how the light is coming from the far left, beyond the frame of the painting. Look at how it falls across the rustic path—Both creates a sliver of light where his figures stand, on horseback, pos...

beside the easel

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