ANQUETIN, BONNARD, IBELS, VALLOTON, DE FEURE, AND McTIVET
|It is not for a moment to be pretended that the artists with whom this
chapter deals are in any sense members of a single school: they have,
indeed, many more points of difference than of similarity. I deal with
them together, because, speaking roughly, their designs are saturated
with the spirit of the day: their decorations are realistic, rather than
fantastic or picturesque. They lean towards Lautrec, rather than towards
Cheret or Grasset, but they are in no sense his imitators; some of them,
indeed, are actually his predecessors.
Willette is an artist of such astonishing facility and variety, that he
has, comparatively speaking, devoted little time to the _affiche_,
and save in one or two conspicuous instances, he has failed to achieve
compelling advertisements. And yet his artistic personality is so
curious and so powerful that his posters are nearly all interesting to
the collector,-more interesting to the collector, it may well be, than
satisfactory to the advertiser. Willette is master of several manners.
He can be realistic to the point of brutality, symbolical, graceful;
while now and then he is almost austerely classical. There are, happily,
few posters so impregnated with race hatred as the anti-Semitic
bill intended to forward the artist's candidature at the _Elections
legislatives_ of the 22nd of September, 1889. The design is ugly in the
last degree, but it is, nevertheless, strangely powerful. Very different
and very much more pleasing is the lithograph in black-admirably
composed and executed--which advertised the successful pantomime,
entitled L'Enfant Prodigue. The design is at once graceful and dramatic,
and it is not surprising that a proof before letters is one of the gems
of a collection of the posters of Willette. No more interesting
souvenir of an experiment which fascinated both Paris and London can be
conceived. Again, the bill advertising the International Exhibition
of Commerce and Industry, held some time ago at the Champs de Mars (an
unlettered proof of which commands no less than two pounds), is very
desirable. The little bill in colours bearing the legend,
"Ainsi qu'un papillon volage,
A qui passe aujourd'hui, demain sera passe.
Laisse-toi cuellir au passage
Papillon d'Actualite,"
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is pretty, alike in colour and pattern, and has already become rare.
Entirely appropriate to its purpose is the "Nouveau Cirque"
advertisement, in which clowns, bare-back riders, and performing animals
of all kinds-from a frog to an elephant-disport themselves with the
utmost _abandon_. From this to the "Cacao Van Houten," is a far cry.
From the point of view of the advertiser, Willette has done nothing
better than his life-size study of a Dutch waitress in national costume.
The thing is very decorative, and succeeds admirably in attracting
attention: another and more complicated design for the same firm is only
a shade less successful. This is entitled "La loi defendent le cacao
contre le chocolat." The other posters of this artist include the rare
"Petite National," the "Evenement Parisien" (which was, I believe,
suppressed), the "Courrier Francaise," the "Exposition Charlet," and the
"Elysee Montmartre." The posters of Willette are marked by variety and
ingenuity of invention, and there is little doubt that they will be
of permanent value as revelations of a talent as individual as it is
powerful.
If the artistic poster is an unimportant incident in the career of
Willette, it is still more so in that of Forain, whose essays in this
direction have been few and far between. Forain is known to nearly every
artist in Europe as a great master of black and white.
Few, if any, can approach him in technical dexterity, few can express
so much in so few lines. Moreover, to his technical mastery is added a
searching power of criticism which gives to his work a further, and a
most important, interest. In his desire to depict the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truth, he (no doubt unconsciously) becomes a
moralist. He depicts life from no sentimental point of view; he can be
realistic without seeming to appreciate the tragedy which is of the very
essence of realism, so that on seeing one of his illustrations of modern
life, one receives, apart from technical delight, a distinctly literary
impression. Of his posters, perhaps the earliest is one unsigned and
without lettering, representing an illuminated garden, in which a woman
is depicted in the midst of an explosion of fireworks. Subsequent to
this comes a bill to advertise one of the novels of Dubut de Laforest,
which bears the artist's signature. The design which announces Forain's
political drawings for the "Figaro" is of slight importance, as it was
not originally intended for a poster. In spite of this it is by no means
easy to meet with. Of greater interest is the "Exposition des Arts de
la Femme." It was, however, only when Forain received a commission to
produce an illustrated advertisement for a cycle show that he achieved a
really memorable poster, a poster of real charm and rare
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originality. The sport of bicycling seems to have fascinated the
_Parisienne_ completely, and Forain has made a charming design, in which
she is depicted in complete enjoyment of the fashionable pastime. The
colour scheme is restrained and delicate, and the production, which
exists in two sizes, should certainly be found amongst the treasures of
every amateur of the _affiche_.
The somewhat risky pages of the _Gil Bias Illustre_ have for a
considerable time been noticeable to artists, chiefly on account of a
series of coloured illustrations by Steinlen. His relentless veracity in
depicting the life of the lower classes of the Paris of to-day is almost
without rival. No detail of squalor seems to escape him; without a tinge
of remorse he proceeds to inform us of the meanest incidents in the
tragedy of the poor or vicious quarters of the great city. By reason of
a certain emphasis of colour and crudeness of design the art of Steinlen
is admirably adapted to the production of such human documents. But
it cannot be maintained that, whatever their technical merits, these
studies of human misery are other than unpleasant-even painful. It is,
therefore, altogether agreeable, when one turns to his essays in the
art of the poster, to find his work graceful rather than tragic, urbane
rather than mordant. Forsaking his mission of realistic illustration, he
becomes gay, dainty, and fanciful as the best of his fellows. Even in a
higher degree than the majority of them, he makes his design appropriate
to the thing advertised. His decorations are spiced with a certain
actuality, and, in being so, insist more effectively on the particular
article the merits of which it is their business to proclaim. No better
example of this could, I think, be put forward than the "Lait pur de
la Vingeannesterilise," a design which, in view of the material to be
advertised, is conceived in the happiest vein. The pretty little girl
drinking the milk, so much coveted of the cats which surround her, is
less interesting than the animals themselves. The draughtsmanship of
the latter is excellent, while there is a hint of that humanity of
expression about the creatures which has produced for the work of
Landseer so immense a popularity. Not less admirable, and of still
greater interest, is the poster designed to advertise the performances
of Yvette Guilbert at the Ambassadeurs. Amongst the numerous artists to
whom the Sarah Bernharct of the music-halls has given commissions none
has been more successful than Steinlen. The poster represents the singer
behind the footlights in an attitude pre-eminently characteristic. The
thing does not amount to a caricature, as does the hitherto unpublished
delineation of Toulouse-Lautrec, but is merely a slightly exaggerated
portrait. It is remarkably suggestive of a most alluring and delightful
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personality. As an advertisement, it must be confessed, it is not all
that could be desired. The colour scheme, while very dainty, is not one
which insists on its presence on the hoardings, so that the proximity
of (for example) a Cheret renders it to some extent ineffective. At
the same time, it is one of the most charming designs of the kind in
existence, and no collector should fail to possess himself of a copy. It
exists in three states: proofs before letters pulled in two tints only,
ordinary proofs before letters, and prints after letters. In the former
state it is rapidly increasing in value, but, insomuch as the lettering
is of the essence of the design, the final state is the most desirable
of all. To advertise an exhibition of his own work, Steinlen produced
another study of cats, which is almost as agreeable as the "Lait pur."
It is in two states: proofs before and after letters. The artist's
design for the watering-place, Vernet-les-Bains, is not very important,
but his early "Mothu et Doria," in three states, should not be
overlooked. Earlier in date than any of the designs I have discussed
is the "Trouville" and "Le Reve." The latter is a pretty composition
reproduced in chromotypo-gravure. While the posters of Steinlen are not
so striking on the hoarding as those of some of his contemporaries, they
are of the highest artistic interest, and will no doubt take a place
second to none in the affections of many collectors. It is significant
that already the rarest of them are by no means easy to procure.
The art of Ibels is as little comprised in the poster as that of
Steinlen. It is happily characteristic of young artists of the present
day, both here and in France, that painting is not the only god of their
aesthetic adoration:
they experiment in many mediums, and it is really remarkable in how
great a number of such experiments they succeed. What is generally true,
is especially so of H. G. Ibels. Like Grasset, he has held an exhibition
of his pictures at the Salon des Cent; he has made his mark in the
galleries of the Champs de Mars; he has designed the covers of several
pieces of music, and of a volume of poems by his brother, entitled
"Chansons Colorees"; in addition, he is well-known as a book
illustrator. His point of view is somewhat akin to that of
Toulouse-Lautrec: he is passionately interested in his own moment, and
depicts modern life with similar insistence on its ugly and grotesque
aspects. And yet Ibels rarely fails to be decorative, and his style is
the outcome of his own artistic personality, rather than the result of
study of the work of other men. In his posters he has been conspicuously
successful; so much so, that it is difficult to point to a single
failure, though, it must be remembered, that as yet his productions have
not been very numerous. It is possible
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that with some the "Mevisto a l'Horloge" will be deemed his best design,
but it can in no sense be considered his most original. It represents
the actor as Pierrot, and is graceful and pleasing rather than
characteristic; indeed, one would almost think that in designing it the
artist had been at pains to conceal his personality. Nor is the "Salon
des Cent"-a charming and delicate little lithograph-in spite of
the ingenuity and fantasy of its grouping of Pierrot, Harlequin and
Columbine, the most noteworthy of Ibels' posters. We see him at his
most original, in an advertisement for the illustrated paper entitled
"l'Escar-mouche," to which he, together with Lautrec, Vuillard,
Willette, and Anquetin, contributed drawings. It represents a cafe of
the lower class, such as abounds in the workmen's quarter of Paris.
The enormously fat _patron_ enthroned behind the metal-topped bar, the
waitress, cloth in hand, clad in her slovenly dress, the _ouvriers_ in
typical blue blouses, are studies in which accurate portraiture has been
but slightly sacrificed to grotesqueness. The whole scene is admirably
conceived, and the colour scheme, though very restrained, is certainly
telling. Those who can do so should secure a proof before letters of
this work, for the lettering is, I believe, not by the artist himself,
and mars the effect of the design, although not in a very marked degree.
Another interesting bill is that done for Mevisto's performances at the
Scala music-hall; this is of great size and striking originality. But if
grotesque force, and the power of reducing scenes of modern lower-class
life into decoration, are Ibels' most pronounced characteristics, he
can produce posters of the suavest charm. Amongst all the _affiches_ I
know, none seems to me more delightful than this artist's "Irene Henry."
The _cafe chantant_ singer whom it represents is justly a popular
favourite with the Parisian public from the fact that she infuses into
her performances no small amount of personality; moreover, her art is
marked by grace and finish. Those who would see her as she appears to
audiences at the Horloge, without going there, have only to look at
Ibels' poster. With the rarest felicity, he has caught her physical
individuality. She is represented in the act of singing in the open air
to a crowd in the _cafe_, lighted by the familiar circle of white lamps.
The line of the figure is most expressive: violet is the predominating
colour. This poster is worthy a place in the French music hall series,
which includes those designed by Lautrec for Jane Avril, by Steinlen
for Yvette Guilbert, and by an artist whom I am about to consider,
Anque-tin, for Marguerite Dufay.
So far as I know, Anquetin has only produced two _affiches_ of
importance, but each
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of them is worthy of the closest attention. The design for Marguerite
Dufay is a piece of triumphant vulgarity. The subject is a very simple
one; it is merely a woman of almost impossible fatness who performs at
various Parisian music-halls on the trombone. Having stated this, one
has, however, given no idea of the extraordinary qualities of this bill.
It is safe to say that, once seen, it will never be forgotten; it should
have made the fortune of the performer whom it advertises. The mirth
of the thing is victorious and infectious; one seems almost to hear the
coarse laugh; the ample body in the green dress seems to move as one
stares at it. In line, in movement, this poster is, from a certain point
of view, a veritable masterpiece. An advertisement which is, it seems
to me, altogether more worthy of Anquetin's great talent is one designed
for "Le Rire," a recently issued journal. It is an extremely fine
lithograph in a single printing, and, as at present it can be procured
for a few shillings, it should be in the possession, not only of those
who care for posters as such, but also of all who are amateurs of the
beautiful art of lithography. In the foreground is the figure of a huge
man in mediaeval costume, which, while touched with the grotesque, is
splendidly flamboyant At his side he carries a large portfolio, adorned
with a grinning mask, while his hands, which are admirably drawn, point
towards a crowd of grinning pigmies beneath him. Every one of the crowd
is extremely expressive, and the effect of the whole production is
enhanced by very excellent lettering. It would be difficult to meet
with two _affiches_ more interesting than the "Marguerite Dufay" and
"Le Rire," and they place Anquetin amongst the masters of the art of the
poster.
If Anquetin is an artist of marked originality, so, in a manner totally
different, is Pierre Bonnard. Save in the small number of his posters,
he resembles Anquetin in hardly anything; on the other hand, his work
has points of similarity with the later work of Lautrec. The posters of
both these artists are decorative in a curious and somewhat similar sort
of way, decorative in spite of their marked grotesqueness. Between the
"Confetti" of Lautrec and the "Revue Blanche" of Bonnard there is a
distinct decorative affinity. As both of them are dated the same year,
1894, it is needless to suggest that either of these intensely personal
artists has derived anything from the other; there is, indeed, no
evidence whatsoever of imitation, or even influence. Of the two
best-known posters of Bonnard, the "France Champagne" is the earlier
in point of time, having been published in 1891. It is a lithograph
in three colours, and represents an extraordinarily fantastic, and
extremely _decolletee_ girl, who holds in one hand a
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closed fan, and in the other an overflowing glass of champagne, which
tumbles about her in a great cascade of foam. The background is yellow
and the girl's dress red, while the upper part of the design is occupied
by the arms of Paris and the text in large letters. The draughtsmanship
is curious and vivacious, and the colouring conspicuously successful.
This poster is not large, measuring as it does, only thirty-two by
twenty-nine inches. The "Revue Blanche," though of nearly the same size,
is much more complicated. In the foreground is a woman in huge hat
and cape, which partly conceal her face, at whom an extraordinarily
grotesque street urchin points his finger. The background is composed of
innumerable advertisements of the _revue_, which a man in a great coat
and silk hat, with his back to the spectator, is reading attentively.
All the figures are in a sort of slate colour. The legend is admirably
introduced into the foreground by means of huge white letters. Owing to
the curiosity of its decoration, this specimen of Bonnard's work is a
most desirable possession for the collector.
It has been the good fortune of Valloton to produce at least one poster
which is excellent from every point of view. Nothing more appropriate to
the advertisement of a frivolous burlesque than his "Ah! la Pe. la Pe,
la pepiniere" could well be imagined. It represents a characteristic
audience at a
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theatre convulsed with laughter at what is taking place on the stage.
The variety of expression on the faces of the spectators is infinite,
and the effect of the whole thing is as mirthful as may be. From the
advertiser's point of view, I can conceive nothing more completely
satisfactory. It exists in colours and in black, and the latter is the
rarer. The same artist's "Carte de Paris" would seem already to have
become scarce. It is a large lithograph in one colour; an example was
shown at the Poster Exhibition at the Royal Aquarium. There is also a
large address card designed by Valloton for M. Sagot. While this is not
actually a poster it almost amounts to one, and were it to be executed
on a large scale, it would doubtless be most successful. It is to be
hoped that Valloton, encouraged by his universally recognized success
in the art of the poster, will not altogether give up its practice in
favour of those other branches of art in which he is distinguished.
The style of De Feure, if not so well adapted to poster work as that of
some of his contemporaries, is nevertheless very interesting. His most
characteristic effort is, perhaps, the "Salon des Cent, 5e Exposition."
This design is very modern and very fantastic. It exists in three
states--proofs before letters on vellum, proofs on Japanese paper, and
ordinary prints. The proofs before letters command very good prices.
Amongst the other posters of De Feure is that done for the performance
of the singer, Edmee Lescaut, at the Casino de Paris; for the newspaper
"Le Diablotin"; and for the "Paris Almanach." In addition, we must not
overlook the pleasant little design for the contents bill of a special
issue of "To-Day."
The posters of Lucien Metivetare of very unequal merit. On the one
hand the designs done by him for Eugenie Buffet, in her realistic
_repertoire_ of songs, are extremely distinguished. While, on the other,
I could point to examples by this artist which are utterly unworthy
his talent. Amongst Metivet's earlier works are "La Famille, journal
hebdomadaire illustre," and "L'Hygiene." A more recent bill advertises
"Les Joyeuses commeres de Paris," but Metivet's talent is seen at its
best in the Eugenie Buffet advertisements, two studies worthy a place
amongst the best posters which have come from the hands of contemporary
French artists.