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.
pages 1, 2,
3, images
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