Poster by Jules Cheret
This summer, following a special exhibition of Russian film posters from the 1920s, the Poster Museum in Hoorn is returning to the roots of poster art. A (rare) overview of the work of Jules Cheret, who is claimed to be 'the father of the poster', is being presented from 4 July to 3 October 2010.
It may be said that Cheret (1836-1932), as painter and lithographer, and 'inventor' of the artistic poster in the second half of the nineteenth century, changed the face of Paris. After all, never before had the colour and bravado of painting literally been brought to the streets. Lithography was invented (by the Austrian Aloys Senefelder) more than a century before but it was the Parisian Cheret who recognised the capital advertising opportunities and who, as visionary innovator, developed the technique further. Being a graphical artist, he understood that more public attention could be gained from a catchy image than from the stiffly worded placards that were being distributed at that time.
With his flamboyant illustrations of cabaret dancers, he instantly captured the hearts of the Parisians who, excited by the novelty, greedily took the colourful and scintillating posters from the walls, quite often while the glue was still wet. In his own lithography studio, Jules Cheret created his exuberant placards not only for the Parisian nightlife (cabarets, theatres, cafes, exhibitions and horse races) but also for commercial advertisers.
Cheret was a distinguished gentleman who appeared to love the ladies because no matter what the product or purpose, he always visibly enjoyed placing the figure of a garish woman centrally. It is not an exaggeration to say that he and his eager follower Toulouse Lautrec gave the Parisian ‘fin de siecle’ its joyous look that it still has today. Unforgettable are the Cheret & Toulouse Lautrec posters for the Moulin Rouge, the La Goulue dancers and the Folies Bergeres with can-can dancers in their swirling skirts.
However, even for less frivolous purposes (e.g. Salamander theaters, the Le Printemps department store and a petroleum lamp – which can all be seen in Hoorn) it is all exuberant ’joie de vivre’ with cavorting ladies. For that matter, see the deceptive relief thanks to the refined shadowed letters advertising the Salamandre name. Even petrol (Benzo-Moteur) is promoted by a beautiful woman in a stunning winter coat with an antique car in the background being driven, of course, by a coquettish lady. Paris quickly found a name for such high-spirited ladies: 'cherettes'!
This summer, with this unique exhibition of posters by Jules Cheret, mostly from private collections, the quiet rooms of the Poster Museum will sparkle with the Parisian ‘joie de vivre'.
Frans van Lier