The work of the French designers has a stimulating effect on the comparatively drab poster art of England. In a poster exhibition in England in 1894, the French influence was noticably reflected in the work of Aubrey Beardsley, Will Owne, Dudley Hardy, Walter Crane, James Pryde and William Nicholson. The last-named two collaborated on poster designed under the pseudonym of "The Beggarstaff Brothers." They were designers who set out to prove how striking a poster can be in simple flat areas and limited to few colors. No attempt was made at realism. Their designed represented frank statements of the two-dimensional limitations of paint applied on a flat plane and gave the illusion of colored paper cut-outs posted in a harmonious composition. This illusion was quite understandable, for it was precisely that cut-out technique which the Beggarstaffs often employed in designing their posters.

The Beggarstaffs, as well as Aubrey Beardsley and other Bristish designers, in turn inspired American poster art. It is said the Beardsley's effect on the American, William Bradley, was so marked that the latter became known as the American Beardsley. Edward Penfield, too, fell under the Beardsley spell. Among other notable early American designers whose work is still seen or whose influence is still felt are F. G. Cooper, C. B. Falls, H. M. Meyers, C. E. Millard, Harrison Fisher and Adolph Treidler.

Influenced somewhat by this new poster art movement, but not yielding to it entirely, was the individual style of the German artists Lugwig Hohlwein. Hohlwein was an advertising artist with an avid interest in hunting and sports. His technique was a strange blend of East-Asiatic simplicity with the photographic accuracy of a snap-shot. He was a master in the portrayal of the figures of man and beast, and he achieved the effect of great detail through clever suggestion, rather than by actual delineation. He omitted all non-essentials and made adroit use of strong patches of shadows contrasted with crisp gleaming flashes of highlights. His genius was recognized throughout Germany and by artists and advertisers the world over.

Among others who added to the prestige of German poster design were Paul Schuerich, H. R. Erdt and Lucian Bernhard. Bernhard sought his inspiration from the experimental abstract developed by the great Austrian poster artist Julius Klinger. In that, Bernhard differed from his German colleagues who, under the spell of Hohlwein, produced poster designs that has become increasingly illustrative and realistic. Bernhard was the first of the German commercial artists to popularize the rugged and stark simplicity of abstract form. His Priester Match poster, known to every student of poster design, remains a legendary model of dramatic simplicity.

The work of Joseph Binder represents another distinct approach to poster design. His illustrations have a two-dimensional quality, with details sacrificed to design. Instead of emphasizing the abstract or grotesque, Binder builds up his illustrative material with simple colorful shapes, creating a geometrical pattern of design. His is the exponent of the theory of "harmony of color contrasts," a working philosophy of daring color combination which was adopted by artists in Austria where Binder originally worked, and spread as a gospel to other countries.

Sascha Maurer, another Viennese now in America, had done commendable work, carrying on this tradition of abstract design, but compromising with shades of realism. His famous skiing posters are always dynamic in composition, conveying a feeling entirely suitable to the spirit of sports.

Leon Bakst of Russia, H. Cassiers of Belgium and Toyokuni of Japan have brought distinction to the poster art of their respective countries.

The Underground Railway System of Great Britain has been one of the most important patrons of poster art in England. Their travel posters have always been executed with such picturesque appeal that it has become popular with the poorer people to purchase these posters as wall decorations for their homes. The lettering is usually so placed that the advertising matter can be blocked out or cut away without marring the general effect of the composition. Heading the group of outstanding designers of England is McKnight Kauffer, an American by birth, who established his professional reputation in England. Among others of repute are Austin Cooper, Fred Taylor, Tom Purvis, Pat Keely and A. Games.

In America, poster art is not founded in the elements of pure design so typical of poster treatment in Europe. It has always leaned toward anecdotal illustration. From this point-of-view, we have fallen behind Germany, England and France in the competition - some critics assert that we were never in the race. Our work, they maintain, is insipid, unimaginative and devoid of good taste. The typical American poster consists of a sensational illustration crowded out by a mass of lettering. We are not design-conscious; we agree too preoccupied with the movies and TV to bother much with pictures that do not flicker. Even our posters "play to the gallery." We excel in technique, speed and fidelity of reproduction - especially in speed. Ion most European countries, advertising poster displays constitute outdoor museums, and the names of the poster artists are almost as familiar to the general public as are the names of movie stars to the American public. Poster exhibits are of interest not only to artists; they have a wide cultural appeal to the average man, also.

But the defenders of American poster design remind us that the poster is not an end itself; it is a means to an end. The aim of the advertiser, bluntly expressed, is to sponsor a poster design which will zoom the sale of his product. Thus the acid test of a poster design is its selling record. The efficacy of a poster is measured statically. It is astonishing what quantities of beer, cigarettes and toothpaste a realistic likeness of a glamour girl with a bewitching smile can sell. Sales, sales, sales - that's what the advertiser is paying for. The agencies show that this type of poster brings tangible results, and they prove ot through ever-climbing sales charts.

American poster design at present is on a higher level than formerly. This is due in large measure to the fact that many of the great designers of the world are now part of the American scene. Bayer, Bernhard, Binder, Carlu and Kauffer - to name but a few - have set up their studios in New York and other larger cities. It cannot but follow that their influence will emerge as a potent force in a changing concept of American poster design. Time will prove what Europeans have long known - that good design is not a handicap to the selling efficacy of a poster.

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