Art Deco

Cassandre

 'Air-Orient' Poste Aérienne 1932

 'Normandie' French Line Poster 1935

 'Nord Express' Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits Poster 1927

A well known Art Deco graphic designer in Paris, Cassandre was a pseudonym  used by Adolphe Jean-Marie Mouron. He was a member of the Purist Group and it is evident in the images. We can see across all the images that geometric shapes are dominant theme in his works. The idea is simple enough that it gets the information to the viewer without it having to be complicated. This a machinist aesthetic quality to them, as if the object were broken down into its only necessary components, the very small details not paid any attention to at all, as if it were frivolous and unnecessary to the object at all.

Examining the Normandie  image, we can see Cassandre really nailed the feeling of the ocean liner. It's very vertical but with the large dark shape of the front, the idea of this ship being large is very easily noticeable. Cassandre captures the basic necessities for the image to get an impact on the viewer. There is no major detail in the ship, just a sculptural feel to it. No blemishes at all, just it's pure basic essence.

 

Cipe Pineles

 Seventeen July yr 1949

 Charm January 1954

 Charm June yr 1951

Pineles was a pioneer in that she was the first woman to be an art director of a mass-media periodical and her success landed in magazines such as Charm and Seventeen. Pineles style clearly revolve around the female models on the cover of the magazines and how she intends to portray them to the audience. She takes a simplistic approach to the designs, reducing the image to it's necessary components while still intending to make its message clear to its viewers. The images presented show a near full body approach to the women, unlike in today where often much of the figure is cropped out.

Of particular note is the Seventeen image. It is an interesting image in that at a quick glance, the  viewer is suggested that it's simply a mirror image of the lady on top. On closer inspection, you will notice that it's in fact not a mirrored image at all. The female on top is smiling while the bottom has more a smirk. The umbrellas are also an indication that it's not a mirror as the top female is holding the umbrella that is on the bottom and vice versa. It's a very subtle but playful image.

Alexey Brodovitch

 Harper's Bazaar Spread, 1938

Alexey became an influential art director in America during the 1930s. He  worked with Cassandre, which Alexey hired for a creative series cover for Harper's Bazaar. Alexey also ended up working on some double page spreads which were considered very compelling. In the above images, you can see he used the images and texts to resemble each other. On the left, you would have the model in a pose, very strong composition. On the right, you would find text that captures the essence of the photo through the text's positioning and format. It was as if Alexey were trying to capture the elements of the photo and is showing it through pure text alone.