Father of the Poster -- Part II© Douglas Russell
Nov 23, 2001
In considering the poster art of Jules Cheret, what immediately commands attention is the large, striking central image that dominates the field, with supporting figures along the sides or in the background. Prominently featured on so many of his posters is the figure of a young woman, regularly shown in a carefree, gay attitude. Her arms and legs are often outstretched and enveloped in swirling clothes or fabric. Her neck and throat are frequently bare. Most of his women clearly radiate a distinct joie de vivre, an almost unbounded happiness that invariably draws the observer closer. This interest is aroused, I think, because Cheret chose to focus on the illustration to convey the message he intended. There is little text on his posters, as he felt that the poster should produce a "reaction of amusement, curiosity, excitement or some positive feeling which will help make the right points."
Cheret was particularly fond of blending yellows and reds in his work, and, much of the time, too, bold lettering enhanced the dramatic effect of the poster. Actually, most often, the lettering was added later by other hands -- the artist's responsibility was for the design. There is almost invariably some movement in Cheret's work -- no static images here. His characters may be dancing, others may be skating, some may be leaping, some may be running, but even when standing still, all are quite merry. These are happy people! A contagious vitality, a vibrant energy infuses each scene. Having said this, however, one detracting aspect to his work is that there is a certain sameness to his designs. While the women are certainly lovely to admire, have a youthful freshness about them and almost seem to beckon us at times, still, there is a repetitiveness in their portrayal -- in one poster, a woman may have red hair and be wearing a bright yellow dress, while in another, the reverse might be true. And most of them seem to have very similar and frequently indistinct facial features, e.g., a twinkling, crinkling eye, with often a sideways, almost coquettish glance; a small mouth with an engaging smile. The head always seems to be tilted backward, the arms and legs always seem to be outstretched ... but this is perhaps mere quibbling. Parisians were certainly delighted with his work, and his charming young women were even nicknamed "Cherettes." Let's consider some examples. In his 1894 poster for Vin Mariana, a red-haired woman is portrayed as dashing forward; held aloft in her left hand is a bottle of wine, and the red liquid flows into a wine glass she holds in her right. Her arms are bare and her legs are mostly bare, too. She wears a stylish yellow hat, yellow shoes, and her yellow dress swirls about her. Clearly, she is enthusiastic in her appreciation for this particular wine.
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