ART OF THE POSTER

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 139, 15 June 1931, Page 10

ART OF THE POSTER

EXCLAMATORY EFFECT

CONTRAST WITH PICTURES

An interesting comparison between paintings and posters was drawn by Dr. I. L. G. Sutherland, of Victoria University; College, in an attractive lecture on "The Art of the Poster" to a large W.E.A. audience at the Trades Hall on Saturdaynight. Posters are not paintings, and they cannot be substituted for one another, stated the lecturer, and while it is true that they use similar mediums and means, the'difference of their ultimate function is so great that design as well as colour must be used'differently. A poster design must be treated in simple shapes, forming a strong and definite pattern which will attract immediate attention, as it is meant "to give an immediate shock. A painting, on. the other hand, is meant to be lived with and quietlyenjoyed. It does not at all. follow that a good picture or drawing will make a good poster. Simplicity of design in a poster should correspond to simplicity of aim, so that an'iustantaneous appeal is made to the eyes and the mind. The effect of the poster should be that of the exclamation mark. . Dr. Sutherland traced the development of poster art, and referred to the subtle and successful use of modern ps3'chological knowledge' in poster advertising. In the bigger countries the public was growing more discriminating in its'appreciation of good and effective design,- and many famous European artists have been engaged in poster work. The speaker dealt with the work of individual artists, and showed how the. bold conceptions of the Beggarstaffe Brothers and their unusual method of eliminating details had introduced something entirely .new into England, and had brought a definite recognition of the existence of an art of the hoardings as distinct from the art of the home. THE INFLUENCE OF THE ORIENT. Modem tendencies in Western art have beeii considerably influenced by Oriental art, continued Dr. Sutherland, and this has been done through the simplification' of objects and the emphasis on form and design found in Chinese paintings and Japanese prints. In modern art in general we have an emphasis on created form rather than on actual representation, and as an ideal, accurate and detailed representation has largely disappeared. Objects are simplified in the interests of a pattern of formal relations. This marked tendency is sometimes spoken of as the "triumph, of design" in modern art, and it is just this tendency which is the main psychological requirement of the poster. Hence, undoubtedly, the artistic interest and the success of good modern posters. Simplification of objects, the elimination of detail, abstraction rather than realistic representation, all in the interests of a striking, satisfying design, are the marks of good poster arL The public will stand and like modernity in a poster while rejecting with anger the same characteristics in a painting in a gallery or on a wall. That is because the public regards the painted picture from a very special point of view. An intriguing pattern will be enioyed in a poster, but declared unintelligible in a painting at an academy show. There is a lot of solemn traditional humbug associated with the appreciation of painted pictures in galleries and academies, declared the speaker, and people who dislike modernity in a painting will bn caught in another attitude of mind and accept it in a poster. There is a conventional way of looking at tilings which is hard to disturb, and there is also the habit of not looking at, or not seeing, familiar things at all. A striking poster suggesting a novel point of. view can often result in the subject being seen with new eyes, and an interesting and exciting pattern can be made out of common things. Dr. Sutherland referred to the important place which colour printing and letterpress occupies in the production of effective posters. Ho concluded a most informative and enjoyable evening by showing a fine display of.posters from England, Germany, France, and Soviet Bussia, and a large number of reproductions as lantern illustrations. He was accorded a hearty vote of thanks for his entertaining lecture, ,