The Art Nouveau Movement The Design Movement Posters Packaging Magazine Covers Typestyles & Colour ‘Los Cigarillos’
Influences on the Art Nouveau style Art Nouveau was a very dominant movement, which came from the Arts & Crafts movement. Designers and artists were more willing to experiment with new materials and mass production. The name comes from an art dealers shop which opened in Paris in 1895, where the leading designers from around Europe were invited to display their work. This included work by Belgian Henry Van de Helde (furniture), American Louis Comfort Tiffany (glassware) and Frenchman Rene Lalique (jeweller). Their work was based around plants, insect motifs and other natural forms and used materials such as glass, semi precious stones and gold. Although it developed in many countries, the fluid, organic style is easily recognisable. The dominating feature is the whiplash curve that influences both the form and the surface decoration of the object. Its organic fluidity was inspired by nature, particularly plant life.
Another significant element of Art Nouveau design were the shapes derived from Japanese prints. Some of these designs appeared on wrapping paper of articles from the far East. Famous prints by Hiroshige, Hokusai and Utamaro, described the daily life of the street, and also included erotic prints Art Nouveau was a reaction to the repressive sexual attitudes that typified life in the nineteenth century. In the world of art and design these concerns surface in the designs of Toulouse Lautrec, Aubrey Beardsley and Alphonse Mucha. They produced exaggerated forms and naturalistic shapes that focused on the female body and cast the woman as the ‘femme fatale’ Outlines are the simplest reproduction to show an object in two dimensions. The solid line silhouette or its negative the flat background shape are the primary elements of Graphic Design. The Japanese woodblock print best demonstrates the effect of outline, background and silhouette and is an obvious influence on poster designs (see Pierre Bonnard’s ‘La Revue Blanche’ 1894). Reversing lines or letters out of a dark area are two examples of graphic variety
Posters 1900 - 1919 •
The development of lithographic printing marked the start of modern poster art. In the nineteenth century, manufacturers were quick to realise the potential of a single striking image, and signs painted on buildings to advertise products were commonplace. The designs were also realised in the from of enamel signs, the reproductions of which are collectible items today.
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The poster designers used their medium as a successful way to develop both their style and the products success. Work by Frenchmen, Toulouse Lautrec and Jules Cheret formed the background to the new style. By the turn of the century the most important movement in poster design was Art Nouveau.
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Toulouse Lautrec, one of the most prominent French poster artists, also designed menus, book and music covers. He designed his first dramatic poster for ‘La Goulue’ at the Moulin Rouge, which gave him instant recognition. Inspired by Japanese prints, his work is characterised by flat simplified silhouettes, contrasting colours and expressive lines. He recorded the performers of cabarets, cafés and circuses showing a view of Parisian night life.
Jules Cheret Jules Cheret was a major French poster artist, who apprenticed as a lithographer. He designed posters for Operas, music halls, theatres and circuses, as well as book covers for the publisher Cramer. His illustrations typically show central figures of graceful, animated beauty, engulfed in swirling drapery and brilliant streaming colours.
Walter Schnakenberg The German designer Schnakenberg (1880 – 1961) produced a series of posters advertising the Golden Casino. They all featured beautiful, sophisticated women and most of them showed handsome men. The stubbly man in the picture is possibly a waiter! The poster is striking for its bold use of colour.
Odeon Casino 1911
John Hassall The growth of the British railways at the start of the century is responsible for some quality posters commissioned by London Transport. This famous poster extols the virtues of the seaside resort of Skegness. Like many of the seaside destinations, offpeak was harder to sell, so Hassell resorts to showing the invigorating effects of cold, fresh, sea air. His comic image is of a portly gentleman skipping along the beach in boots, scarf and hat. It is an English translation of entertainment posters designed by French artist Lautrec. “Skegness is so Bracing� 1909
Alphons e Mucha
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The Czech artist Alphonse Mucha is the most famous and flamboyant exponent of Art Nouveau Poster design. His posters featured beautiful women, often with long flowing hair, framed by floral decoration and organic lines . Mucha’s big break came in Paris in 1894 when he designed a hugely successful poster for Sarah Bernhardt. This example is one of many that he produced. His work was more richly decorated and stylised than the work of Cheret. He designed posters, magazines, calendars, packaging and jewellery. His women were often central in his designs surrounded by elaborate plants and flowing organic forms. He is also credited with designs promoting Moet et Chandon. Mucha was the master of erotic advertising. His skill and style led him to be commissioned to design posters selling goods from champagne to bicycles, where the products are upstaged by beautiful, scantily clad women. See also Mucha’s poster designs for ‘Job’ cigarette papers
Waverly Cycles
Mucha’s posters Here are two more examples typical of the style of Mucha advertising “Chocolate Ideal” drinking powder and the “World Fair 1900”, held in Paris.
Poster designers
Other designers include: Walter Schnakenberg Germany John Hassall England Alphonse Mucha Czechoslovakia “Bieres de la Muse� Alphonse Mucha
Mucha ‘Cycles perfecta’
Mucha ‘ Salon des Cent’
Mucha ‘Chocolate Amatler’
Mucha ‘Job cigarettes
Lautrec ‘La Gouloue’ Moulin Rouge
Lautrec ‘Troupe Mlle de la Eglantine’
Packaging By the 1850’s all kinds of fruit and vegetables were sold in cans. Manufacturers quickly learnt that an attractive label or distinctive containers attracted higher sales. Unlike other areas of design, packaging is rarely associated with individual designers. Rather, designs evolve with each new era; by 1900, shopping for groceries was changing from a traditional reliance on a grocer for advice and wrapping items, towards manufacturers’ designs influencing the consumers choice. Many pack designs still reflected late 19h century tastes, although toiletries and new brands were the exception, taking advantage of the flowing, organic style of the movement, Art Nouveau, to attract customers with a modern look.. Many classic examples derive from this era and include Lea and Perrins, Pears soap, Colmans mustard, Quaker Oats and Kellogg's Corn Flakes, Coca Cola and Perrier. The label design used on the bottle of Moet et Chandon champagne still retain the Art Nouveau style today
L’Aureole Soap From a box of three individually wrapped French toilet soaps, this label draws heavily on the Art Nouveau style. The extravagant design was intended to appeal directly to ladies as a luxury product
Soft pack Cigarettes At about this time, collectible picture cards became popular with competing companies. As well as providing free promotional opportunities, the stiff cards helped to protect the cigarettes as the packs themselves were very flimsy.
Perrier Water Bottle The idiosyncratic shape of this Perrier glass bottle , allegedly fashioned after an Indian club, has barely changed through the century
Ivory Soap The name “Ivory� was first used by the American manufacturer Procter & Gamble in 1879. The traditional appearance of this packaging remained quite similar until a redesign was commissioned in 1940
Whisky Bottle The scene of a woman driving a car reflects the new attraction of the automobiles, but it also portrays an independent woman, perhaps to attract more female drinkers
Magazine covers Before the 1930’s the majority of magazines featured art illustrations rather than photographs on their covers, but, during world war II designers began to realise fully the power of photographic images. Often used for political manipulation, pictures such as those showcased by the photojournalism magazine Picture Post had an enormous impact.After the war there was an boom in the market for women’s journals; this was largely fashion led and started a trend, which continues today for glossy, colour shots of glamorous models.
• Figaro Illustre is a fine example of Art Nouveau design. It features the abstract floral motifs and organic forms typical of the French style. Elements of this style were adopted by Edward Penfield, who illustrated this edition of Colliers. • See also the work of Will H. Bradley for ‘The Chap Book’ magazine
• Penfield was an influential figure in the evolution of the American Art Poster – a new genre of advertising that was typified by bold flat colours and unfussy design. The Young Man, counterpoint to the popular Victorian publication The Young Woman, shows elements of the Arts & Crafts style which was the predecessor to the Art Nouveau style
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Until the beginning of World War in 1914, light colours were popular – light green, pale blue and “swooning mauve”. During this time, colours were often differentiated as ‘city colours’ and the more utilitarian ‘country colours’ which included a lot of brown and tan. The Art Nouveau movement had a tremendous influence on colour and iridescence, as did the invention of the electric light bulb. Simply put, colour use changed because the electric lights illuminated colour and you could see it better than under gas light
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There was a bright explosion of colour brought about by the popularity of the Ballet Russe. Similarly the Fauvists - using shades of scarlet and apple green making an explosion of colour. The Impressionists and Neo Impressionists indulged in floral hues of yellow, orange, teal, periwinkle, violet, rust and green which influenced the colours of interior design and clothing for the wealthy. During the war, colour all but disappeared. Colourful clothing still existed, but it was difficult to obtain and only available if you could pay the high prices.
Colour
Typestyles • Type design was influenced by hand lettered creations that printers brought to type foundries.in the hope that they could be reproduced as new typestyles. • During the late 1800’s typefaces were known for their circus like appearance. They were very elaborate and ornate which was perfect for the Big Top. The first designs after the turn of the century were distinctive for their simplicity, which had a calming effect on type. Many style looked as if they had been hand lettered
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Typefaces that evoke the era are still available today, these include; Franklin Bodoni Caslon Goudy. Edda Edward Johnston – whose modern sans serif face is behind the type for the London Underground. Peter Behrens and other German designers designed curvy linear faces like Carmen and Schrift
Carmen 1900 Eckman-Schrift Edward Johnston 1916 Bodoni
Franklin Gothic
Maroon 5 album cover 2004
Carol @ debutart.com