A Brief History Of Posters
Lithographic Printing
People's romantic affair with visual imagery begins from infancy and well before possessing the ability to demonstrate speech, and this most natural human affinity abides throughout human adulthood. The inherent desire within each of us to communicate by means of imagery on a conscious or subconscious level is witnessed in one sense through the evolution of the poster, which is acknowledged as one of the great artistic glorifications of human expression. The origin of the poster can be traced back to ancient civilizations, such as China, Greece, and Egypt. The process of posting hand-drawn public notices upon walls and buildings can be traced back into the mist of time.Alois Senefelder (born 1771 - died 1834) was a German engineer and actor who invented the lithographic printing technique between 1796 and 1798. The early lithographic printing process involved the use of a flat stone or metal plate, upon which image areas were created by first applying a greasy substance onto the printing surfaces in order to facilitate ink adherence to those areas. Meanwhile, the non-image areas were created to be ink-repellent. In that Age, the lithography printing technique was considered a very important development within the printing industry, and this process was particularly beneficial for printing images, but also, it was useful for printing various text style sizes. However, at that time in history, this technology was considered too slow and expensive for consistent large-scale mass production printing.
Julés Chéret
Julés Chéret (1836 – 1932) was a French artist who made a spectacular breakthrough when he invented the 3 stone lithographic process, which was a revolutionary upgrade from the previous black and white lithography version. And from that moment, virtually every desirable colour became achievable to print. Chéret underwent some of his lithography training and work profession in London, England, between 1859 and 1866, after which time, he returned to France to seek his fortune in printing and design. Chéret was fortunate to receive financial assistance from a trusted business associate, and as a result, in 1866, he founded a lithographic printing business and between the 1870s to 1880s, Chéret became the first person in history to successfully produce the first lithographic colour posters, the world had ever witnessed. Over the course of time, Chéret became renowned for his pioneering, adventurous artistic style, which had captured the imagination of the general public, and eventually, he became widely known as father of the modern poster.
Chéret's exciting innovation marked the dawn of the wonderful world of advertising. As a result, he was perceived as the great inspiration for a new emerging generation of artistic connoisseurs, who possessed a great desire to revel with unbridled abandonment in their newfound freedom of expression. The newly evolving artistic methods that were being employed in that era diversified typography and elevated the profession of poster design to a higher level of excellence. Poster design had transformed into an all-powerful communication medium for a wide spectrum of advertisements within different fields of occupation, namely, art, music, dance, theatre, films, leisure, manufactured products, special events, and poster creation was even used to convey and promote powerful political messages and propaganda.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (born 1864- died 1901) was a gifted French artist who was commissioned by the Moulin Rouge Cabaret, in 1889 to produce a series of promotional posters. It is said that Lautrec was the hugely influential artist who raised poster creation to the level of fine art. His impressive work was seen as the catalyst for many aspiring artists who were searching for prominence and greatness within the young and hugely promising field of poster creation. Poster design began to be seen in a new light by a new emerging breed of artists. Paris became widely viewed as the mecca for artists around the world, especially spanning the years 1890 to 1914. This most productive and exciting period in French history was hailed as ‘La Bell Époque' the golden age, which was also characterized by economic prosperity and scientific advancements, as a result, there was a pervading feeling of great optimism and immense pride within France in that era.
Art Nouveau originated from the Arts and Craft movement, which was founded by a famous Englishman called William Morris between 1860 and 1861. This movement also evolved in collaboration with certain other prominent artists and writers in England in that era. The term was used and promoted by T.J. Cobden-Sanderson at the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society in 1887. The movement was founded as a rejection of the changes in the standards of traditional art forms that were perceived as a decline in artistic standards, particularly relating to applied arts, and some scholars had attributed this decline to the impact of the Industrial Revolution. The Arts and Crafts movement flourished across Western Europe and the USA, reaching its peak between 1890 - 1910. The movement had attempted to re-establish lost traditional high standards relating to the artistic craftsmanship for utilitarian products, namely, embroidery, tapestry, jewellery, ceramics, mosaic, furniture, textiles, stained glass, with particular emphasis and attention placed on medieval and romantic decorative styles.
Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec
Alphonse Mucha
Alphonse Mucha was a Czech Art Nouveau painter and decorative artist (born 1860 - died 1939), and he was considered by many people to be one of the great influential masters of Art Nouveau poster design. Mucha became famous for his distinctly stylized, richly embellished, and idealistically created posters, especially those he had created of Sarah Bernhardt, which were exalted to the realms of mythical portrait masterpieces. Bernhardt was a famous French stage actress and principal performer in some of the most notable French plays of the late 19th and early 20th century. Moreover, Art Nouveau became highly popular across Europe and the United States, spanning the golden age of poster creation, 1890 -1910.
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau relates to a style of decorative art or applied arts, concerned with the creation of objects that are aesthetically pleasing, while possessing a practical use, such as glassware, jewellery, ceramics, furniture, tapestry, architecture, interior design, and illustrations. Art Nouveau is recognized as an art style which is characterized by intricate lines and elegant flowing curves based on natural forms. Depending on the style, message, and quality of the poster design, some scholars have debated whether certain posters should be placed within the category of fine arts. The term 'Art Nouveau' originated from a Paris art gallery, which was opened in December 1895, called 'La Maison de l' Art Nouveau', which literally means 'The House of New Art', and that business was owned by Franco-German art dealer, Siegfried Bing.
Adolphe Jean-Marie Mouron (born 1901 - died 1968) was a Ukrainian artist, graphic designer, and typographer, who was otherwise known as Cassandra. He was considered by many to be one of the stars that shone most brightly during the Art Deco era, which was an art style that became most prominent between the 1920s and 1930s. Cassandra emigrated from Ukraine to Paris in 1915 with his family, where he completed his secondary education. During his late teenage years, Cassandra developed a passion for art and later studied art at the prestigious university, 'Ecole des Beaux-Arts', and he also studied at the distinguished private art school 'Academie Julian'. Furthermore, Cassandra developed a keen interest and was hugely inspired by the art movements called cubism and surrealism. After Cassandra completed his studies, he received employment in Paris, where he began creating advertising posters and establishing his reputation.Cassandra
Art Deco
Cassandra's big break occurred at the L'Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes (International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts) in 1925, where he won his first Art prize for a poster he had been commissioned to create called Au Bucheron, which he had created in 1923. As a result, Cassandra's work began to receive much greater recognition, and over a short period of time, his career was launched to even greater, unexpected heights. Following his newfound success, Casandra was provided with financial assistance by business associates in order to establish an advertising agency called Alliance Graphique in 1926. Alliance Graphique eventually became very successful and resulted in Cassandra receiving world acclaim for his exceptional, stylized, and innovative poster designs, after which his status was elevated as one of the dominant creators in the Art Deco era, which spanned 1926 to 1940.
The impact of modernisation and industrialization on Western society played a key role in shaping modern art movements such as futurism, cubism, functionalism, and the Bauhaus, which was a famous German art school that existed between 1919 and 1933. In this era, there were many gifted designers, who had created artistic ideas based on elements from a variety of modern movements, which contributed to the hugely influential Art Deco movement. The term 'Art Deco' is taken from a segment of a title called 'Arts Decoratifs', which was a major art exhibition that occurred in France in 1925. Art Deco is a style of decorative art, which is characterized by chevron, geometrical, and streamlined shapes and striking colours. The Art Deco style produces a clean, sleek, stylized, and elegant appearance, and it relates to modernism in terms of architecture, ocean liners, locomotives, aircraft, interior design, and fashion. It is an artistic expression that conveys sophistication, affluence, and success. After WWII, the poster as a medium declined somewhat, as it was first challenged by television and cinema, and then later by the all-consuming World Wide Web. Yet, the poster, which has undergone considerable challenges, transformations, and diversifications, continues to thrive in many aspects of modern society.
Written by Star_gazer
Published 15 October 2020