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French Placard and Decorative Graphic Arts
of the End of the 19th - Beginning of the 20th Centuries
January 2010
From January 2010 a temporary French Placard and Decorative Graphic
Arts of the End of the 19th - Beginning of the 20th Centuries
exhibition from the collection of the State Hermitage is presented
at the Winter Palace (the Court Gallery, 2nd Floor).
Various examples of printed graphic arts (placards, covers and prints)
are united by typological resemblance: a print is not
comprehended as an independent work but as a functional
work designed, among others, to serve as decoration of publication,
interior or urban environment. It is not by chance
that the most part of the exhibits dates back to 1890s -
the epoch characterized by aspiration for aestheticization
of everyday life and living space.
It is customary to connect the origin of placard with the name
of Jules Cheret. From the end of 1860-s on regular
basis he was printing large-size coloured prints advertising
exhibitions, performances, theatres, places of entertainment (by Russian
tradition such placards are indicated by the term 'poster'
(afisha)) or manufactured goods. One cannot say that until that
moment there were no placards in principle (its prototypes
were found already in the 15th century), but its modern
character was formed thanks to Cheret. The artist combined new
features, which had been gradually appearing in advertising
graphic arts of the middle of the century (extension
of sizes, emphasis on colour and monumentality of perception),
in a complete form that became canonical owing to constant
repetition. Coloured lithography technique (with frequent substitution
of stone with zinc plate that made large-scale
works significantly easier), which Cheret mastered brilliantly, made
it possible to make copies of advertising materials.
In many respects thanks to Cheret placard, which earlier used to be more
a lot of masters-artisans, gained status of independent
art and started to attract prominent artists. As opposed
to his predecessors, who used popular print and caricature
devices, Cheret appealed to aesthetics of the 18th century
(Boucher, Tiepolo, Fragonard). Paradoxically such passeism made it possible
to create a foundation for further avant-garde
achievements. Lighten up by tradition placard moves up to the rank
of high acknowledged art from the rank of artistic marginalia.
By the end of the century its popularity reaches its peak.
Placards are collected, exhibited; luxuriously illustrated publications
are dedicated to them. Lovers of prints are ready
to take down pasted sheets under the cover of night just
to add them to their collection.
Placard becomes the most powerful means of visual influence in creative
works of Cheret, Mucha, Steinlen, Toulouse-Lautrec.
Advertising function is realized due to its decorative
features. Placard attracts and convinces by expressiveness of composition,
boldness of drawing, effectiveness of colouring, - and only
then it informs and specifies details. It is significant
that an inscription, obligatory for any complete work of such
type, conforms to image stylistics and becomes its integral
visual component. Print changes constantly; first the emphasis is on artificiality,
then on text regularity, its position on the flat
and in space, its connection with the image.
In the advertisement of cigarette paper Mucha repeats the word
'JOB' four times (which is obviously redundant if one should
consider it only as a carrier of information) and eventually
he turns it into an ornamental motif for the 'Byzantinisming'
background. In Japanese Sette (Divan Japonais) Toulouse-Lautrec
delicately uses similarity of letters and graphic signs with good
effect, making them exchange their visual characteristics - the print
somewhat 'revives' while laconically reproduced figures incline to hieroglyph.
Black gloves of the singer - Yvette Guilbert - performing
on stage draw letter 'Y', the first letter of her
name, which remains unnamed just like her face that is left
outside the image frames.
At the same time it is the specific limitations
that also make for advertising tasks. Placard is directed towards
mass audience and should consider its tastes and preferences.
Hence there is disposition to repetition, to formation
of settled cliche, inclination to entertaining nature and kitsch
that distinguish not only second-rate artists (such
as Pean, Lourdes or Damare) but also recognized maitres
- Cheret and Mucha. If from the point of view of 'high
art' these are unquestionable shortcomings, then from a position
of functionality, these are almost advantages. Quite natural
that artist reproduces stylistics and picturesqueness that won success
with public and, accordingly, ensure attractiveness of the placard.
In order to avoid stereotypes it is necessary to possess
artistic skills and aristocratism of Toulouse-Lautrec.
Combination of functionality and ornamentality is also typical
of book and album covers. This type of printed graphic
arts is represented by splendid works of Lautrec, where
the form of the spread itself is used in a witty
way by setting sequence of perception (face and back).
At the turn of the century prints, specially designed for interior
decoration like production analogue of pictorial panels, also become
widespread. Among them there is a series by Eugene Grasset,
one of the leading masters of Art Nouveau style in its
discreet, oriented towards tradition version. Picture format hints at its
supposed location in the interior: elongated horizontal - sopraportas,
vertical - framing for doors or windows, square - decorative
'insets' on the spare flat of the wall. Prints by Grasset
are of allegorical character: each of them incarnates a certain
feature of mind or emotional state, which correspond to a flower
or a plant. So far it remains unclear whether any specific
literary or emblematical source is the basis of the series.
The exhibition is prepared by Mikhail Balan, the curator of French
engravings of the 19th - 20th centuries of the Department
of Western European Art of the State Hermitage.
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Poster of Hippodrome at the Bridge Maillot
1890
Larger view
Japanese Sette (Divan Japonais) Cabaret placard
1893
Larger view
Pure Sterilized Milk from the Banks of Vingeanne
advertising placard
1894
Larger view
Poster of Marchant Pierrfora Gallery
Around 1895
Larger view
Coquetry. Decorative panel from the series Ten
Decorative Prints
1897
Larger view
Advertising placard of JOB cigarette paper
1898
Larger view
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