TRAVEL AND TOURISM POSTERS: A BRIEF HISTORY AND CANADA'S CONTRIBUTION

TRAVEL AND TOURISM POSTERS: A BRIEF HISTORY AND CANADA'S CONTRIBUTION

During the final quarter of the 19th century posters were made for advertising and propaganda with increased frequency in Great Britain, on Continental Europe and in North America. The Worlds great transportation companies were forefront in utilizing new developments in lithography and serigraphy that improved printing in the 1880s and 1890s. The Canadian Pacific Railway was among those companies taking advantage of the improved printed poster both for regional, national and international advertising. As poster production expanded on the eve of the 20th century, there was also an invested interest in the quality and style of poster design. For example, Belle Epoque Parisian poster designs by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) and Britain's Beggerstaff Brothers (active 1894-1899) observed close ties to contemporaneous fine and decorative art movements of the time such as art nouveau, the arts and crafts movement, and symbolism.

Poster design became a worthy fine art form. In the 20th century it would not only present itself as a form of fine art, but was to be a leading medium within which modernism would take flight in the arts.

The desired effectiveness of advertising campaigns lent well to simple, bold and linear combinations of text and image. This enticed designers to draw heavily from avant-garde art movements at the time that held similar stylistic principles such as cubism and constructivism. Pictorially and textually minimalistic designs of bold and linear compositions were first employed by the precocious German designer Lucian Bernhard (1883-1972). He is known best for his winning contest design for Priestler cigars in 1906, which comprised solely of black space, the company name and two stylized matchsticks. Bernhard and half a dozen other innovative German designers were given exclusive contracts with the forward thinking Berlin Lithography firm Hollenbaum and Schmidt. This school of design born out of Germany became known as Plakastil, translated simply as Poster Style.

Poster production reached a zenith of importance by the First World War. During the war governments had employed poster advertising to attract assistance and for propaganda. After the war poster production remained steady. Industrialism, technology and machinery were at this time embraced during the years following the First World War, which manifested in poster design through a continued influence of stream-lined prevailing artistic movements such as cubism, the Bauhaus School, and Art Deco. According to Phillip Meggs, author of A History of Graphic Design, the term Art Deco “is used to identify popular geometric works of the 1920s and 1930s. It signifies a major aesthetic sensibility in graphics, architecture, and product design during the decades between the two world wars.” One leading designer who embraced Art Deco aesthetics in his poster designs was Russian emigrant to Paris, A.M. Cassandre (1901-1968) He employed boldly simplified iconographic images that were often distorted in scale in order to send an effective message about what was being portrayed. This is exactly the case with Cassandre’s well-known L’Atlantique, 1931.

Poster design first caught my attention and subsequent admiration at university when I was taking a History of Graphic Design course. When I opened the textbook and saw an image of Cassandre’s Atlantique, 1931 it left an impression on me. I was already a lover of Art Deco by then. Cassandre’s early image of a oceanliner was to be an innovative model for travel posters featuring ships for decades to come. His influence can be seen in the still fresh looking designs made for the Canadian Pacific into the mid and second half of the 20th century.

Another means through which my increasing affection for poster design as a fine art form arose came via vintage ski posters. For a long time I have reveled in the notion of collecting good early ski posters, as much so as I desire to ski at some of the great old European resorts that the posters advertised.

Both Cassandre’s ship and the ski posters are of the travel and tourism genre, which is an area in the history of poster design within which Canada has produced a prominent contribution. The catalyst in this was the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), and in particular the company's Exhibits Branch of the Immigration and Colonization Department. The height in poster popularity coincided with what was often referred to as the Golden Age of the CPR from the turn of the century through World War One. Utilizing posters in extensive advertising campaigns intended to attract visitors and new settlers to Canada, the CPR was instrumental in shaping International perceptions of the country. Advertisements were aimed at portraying the country’s scenery, fertile land, and varying geography in a good light. Often pleasurable activities such as hiking, hunting, fishing, swimming or skiing were featured.

Poster production increased again during the post-war years, and the CPR and its newer competitor the Canadian National Railway (CNR) both created numerous travel and tourism posters with exceptional designs at that time. Peter Ewart (1918-2001) was one Canadian artist whose art deco inspired designs were used for almost 25 CPR posters over many decades. His first was a ski poster from 1940 “Sports D’Hiver.” Masters Gallery sold another of his ski posters earlier in 2013, and has the pleasure of offering a selection of vintage Canadian travel and tourism posters both in our Calgary and Vancouver galleries this fall, including one of Peter Ewart’s most praised railway posters.

Acquiring vintage posters is an excellent way of delving into art collecting. Original examples of vintage posters are sometimes rare and hard to find, but they are not unobtainable and can be financially reasonable in comparison to collecting in other branches of the fine arts.

For further reading on Canada’s contribution to the history of poster design I recommend Posters of the Canadian Pacific by Marc H. Choko and David L. Jones (Firefly Books, 2004)

and for an excellent overview of the history of poster design see

The History of Poster Design by Max Gallo (Norton & Co. New York, 2000)

and

Meggs’ History of Graphic Design by Phillip Meggs (J. Wiley & Sons, 2006 Fourth Edition)

BY JILL TURNER

Photo Credits:

1. Canadian Pacific Railway Poster, anonymously designed, 1887

2. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. La Vache Enragee, 1896

3. The Beggarstaff Brothers. Lyceum Don Quixote, 1895

4. Lucian Bernhard. Priestler Cigars, 1906

5. Julius Klinger. Kriegsanleihe, Vienna, 1918. (Poster promoting German war bonds with symbolic defeat of the Allies)

6. A.M. Cassandre. L'Atlantique, 1931.

7. Tomagno. Chamonix-Mont Blanc Sports D'Hiver Train Express, circa 1905

8. Cortina D'Ampezzo, designer unknown, circa 1920

9. Pierre Kramer, Zermatt/ Matterhorn, 1931

10. Emil Cardinaux, St. Moritz circa 1920

11. Roger Broders. Sports D'Hiver a St. Pierre de Chartreuse, 1930

12. Canadian Pacific Railway, Empress of Britain, anonymously designed, lithograph, circa 1930

13. Alfred C. Leighton for CPR,Chateau Lake Louise, silkscreen, 1938

14. Peter Ewart for CPR, Sports d"Hiver, silkscreen, 1940.

15. Peter Ewart for CPR. Ski Canada silkscreen, circa 1941 (sold in 2013 at Masters Gallery)

16. Peter Ewart for CPR. Canadian Pacific lithograph, 1952

17. Canadian Pacific Railway The New Empress of Canada, lithograph, anonymously designed, 1961

18. Canadian Pacific Railway, Holidays in Canada, lithograph

19. Canadian Pacific Railway, Alaska and the Yukon lithograph

20. Canadian National Railway, Ski in Canada's Laurentian Mountains, silkscreen, circa 1950s

AUTUMNAL ART: GREAT CANADIAN PAINTINGS FROM THE FALL SEASON

AUTUMNAL ART: GREAT CANADIAN PAINTINGS FROM THE FALL SEASON

The autumn time has featured prevalently in the work from important periods during the careers of Canada’s influential artists of the 20th century. For the Group of Seven, a recurrent fall trip to the Algoma region in Ontario stands out. These trips were taken at a time when the Group of Seven members were strongly unified in their goals to create a distinct nationalistic style of landscape art. They were heavily under the influence and stylistic guidance of their recently deceased dear friend and fellow artist Tom Thomson. Armed with memories of their friend, the artists felt a strong sense of artistic purpose; therefore the work from their Algoma sketching trips can be considered quite artistically and emotionally charged. Thomson’s ability to convey the vivid colours and aura of the autumn had been exceptional. To this day, Thomson’s sketches of fall colours and foliage remain some of his most cherished and prized to collectors and museums.

In the autumn of 1918 Group of Seven members J.E.H. MacDonald, Lawren Harris and Frank Johnston, made the first of their renowned boxcar trips to Algoma with patron Dr. MacCallum. Lawren Harris was able to convince the Algoma Central Railway to lend them a boxcar, which was sidelined from the tracks at convenient sketching locations. The boxcar was used as lodgings and studio and was complete with bunks, tables and chairs, a stove, and painting materials. There was also a canoe and a handcar for short distance travel. The boxcar was bright red and numbered 10557 on the side in big black lettering. Over the doorway were mounted sprays of evergreen and the motto: Ars Longa Vita Brevis (meaning Art is Long, Life is Brief).

This first “boxcar” trip in September of that year began at the Agawa River Canyon. It was the first sketching stop on the route, and they stayed there to paint the autumnal scenery for many days. MacDonald in particular was captivated by the Algoma landscape. A.Y. Jackson later remarked, “I always think of Algoma as MacDonald’s country. He was awed by the landscape and he got the feel of it in his paintings.”

Also for Frank Johnston, during this stage of his career he is an enthusiastic participant in the endeavors of the forming Group of Seven. Johnston returned again in 1919 for the next boxcar sketching trip. In 1919 he showed sixty works in an Algoma Show, and in the first Group of Seven show he had more works entered than any of the other artists. Although Johnston did not remain officially connected with the Group of Seven after 1922, when he embarked on his own artistic pathway he still excelled at conveying the aura and atmosphere of the autumn in his paintings.

Harris’ work at Algoma is also quite distinct. In particular the stylized way within which Harris depicts the multi-coloured trees of the changing season is unique. He would continue to depict trees in this manner into the early stages of his Lake Superior period, before moving even further into stylization of the landscape.

Franklin Carmichael is another Group of Seven member whose talent thrived when he joined in on the second boxcar trip. Into the early 1920s some of Carmichael’s most refreshing and innovative works were autumn scenes, such as October Gold, 1922 and Autumn in Orillia, 1924.

By: Jill Turner

Photo Credits:

1. Tom Thomson. Autumn Tapestry. oil on panel. Sold at Masters Gallery, 2013.

2. Tom Thomson. The Pool.. oil on canvas. National Gallery of Canada.

3. JEH MacDonald. On Mitchell's Lake, Algoma, 1918 oil on panel. Private Collection, Masters Gallery, Ottawa, ON.

4. Frank Johnston. Spruce Sentinels, Algoma, Ont. 1918. Tempera on paper. 21.75 x 16

5. Frank Johnston. Agawa Canyon, Algoma, 1918 oil on panel. Sold at Masters Gallery, 2013

6. Lawren Harris. Lake Superior Sketch XC, circa 1921. oil on panel. 10.75 x 14 in. Sold Masters Gallery, 2013

7. Franklin Carmichael. Autumn scene from Masters Gallery past highlights archive.

8. Franklin Carmichael. October Gold, 1922 oil on canvas. The McMichael Collection of Canadian Art, Kleinberg, ON.

9. Franklin Carmichael. Autumn in Orillia, 1924 oil on canvas. The Beaverbrook Gallery, Fredericton, NB

ART AND NATURE: A PAST AND PRESENT LOOK (FEATURING JACK COWIN)

ART AND NATURE: A PAST AND PRESENT LOOK (FEATURING JACK COWIN)

Jack Cowin is both a talented artist and a knowledgeable naturalist. This makes him an ideal interpreter of the natural world. Cowin’s unique hand-coloured etchings adorned with gold leaf are creative and innovative, and we at Masters Gallery have come to associate this distinct high quality work with Cowin. His ability to meticulously record the flora and fauna he observes around him always with an additional touch of elegance is good reason why his work has been featured in countless collections across North America.

JACK COWIN'S WORK IN SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS

In all of its guises, Art has evolved organically over the centuries. New ideas and old ones have often comingled harmoniously with the end result being something truly unique. Cowin’s work is just so; presenting fresh depictions of the creatures in the natural world with hints reminiscent of the very best that natural history in art has offered in Western tradition. Some historical citations that can be found in Jack Cowin’s work might include medieval bestiaries, and the ultra-refined natural history illustrations of the 18th and 19th centuries. Cowin has inherited and kept vibrantly alive the wonderful tradition of merging nature and art, that has had a presence in the history of art over the many centuries.

Although not related to Canadian art in particular but to Cowin’s subject matter, I thought it might be interesting to present a few historically interesting cases featuring the co-existence of nature and art in the past. The first and chronologically earliest that I think interesting is the medieval bestiary. The term ‘bestiary’ derives from the opening lines ‘Bestiarum Vocabulum’ of its predecessor, the ancient Greek compilation of animal lore called the Physiologus. Quite literally it was a book about many beasts, as were bestiaries. Bestiaries were illustrated books filled with current knowledge about numerous animals, both commonplace (like the swallow or badger) and mythological (like the mermaid or unicorn). Prevailing religious attitudes during the Middle Ages seeped into all areas of life; therefore even bestiaries were infiltrated with Christian morals. They were available as richly illustrated examples for the wealthy, or as cruder variants for laymen. The height of popularity for medieval bestiaries was in the 12th and 13th centuries, particularly in France and England. One of the most complete and illustrious examples was executed in England circa 1200, called The Aberdeen Bestiary, where it is now housed at the University of Aberdeen.

Although the animals, birds and aquatic life by Jack Cowin are certainly depicted in far more heightened detail than the beasts of the bestiaries; the underlying principle aiming for accuracy was often present and the use of elaborate gilt backgrounds draws a parallel to the background of Cowin’s signature etchings.

As we move ahead to the 18th century, there were changing perceptions of the natural world and how it should be perceived. It was the Age of Enlightenment, and an enormous thirst for knowledge of the natural world was fueled by the discovery of the New World and through advancements in natural science. Such converging factors, amongst others, led to an explosive interest in depicting flora and fauna with as much authenticity as was achievable. Accurate visual aid was more efficient than lengthy descriptions of new and varying species of beasts around the world. The body of naturalists whom were extraordinarily talented artists at recording nature is large; therefore I have selected just a few artists work to exhibit the exceptional drawings of the 17th and 18th century naturalist artists. In these artists work I see the same precision that Jack Cowin presents in his works of all mediums. Of particular interest to me was the work of Maria Sibylla Merian, who made natural studies primarily from her travels to Surinam. Other noteworthy artists were Mark Catesby, American William Bartram and Sarah Stone; all active in the British Colonies in the 18th century.

No discussion of natural history illustration is complete without mention of John James Audubon’s ornithological art. I will not delve into his biography, as it is readily available. Active during the first half of the 19th century, Audubon’s work represents the peak achievement in realistic, yet beautified, natural history illustration. He contributed great progress to the field of ornithology, having himself identified approximately 25 species of birds. His painting ability left most illustration of the same genre for decades after in his debt. The culmination of his career was the illustrated Birds of America, with over 400 hand-coloured engravings of bird species. I am reminded of great 19th century ornithological artists such as Audubon, or his contemporary Edward Lear, when I see the latest watercolours by Jack Cowin.

I hope you have enjoyed my sojourn into the world of natural history illustration, and that you will enjoy all of our recent acquisitions by Jack Cowin.

By: Jill Turner

PHOTO CREDITS

1. Jack Cowin, Raven graphite on paper

2, 3, 4, 5. A Peacock,A Unicorn Slaying, Vultures and A Yale in The Aberdeen Bestiary from the University of Aberdeen online at www.abdn.ac.uk/bestiary

6. From a Monk's sketchbook, Italian, circa 1400 (Partridge, Kingfisher, Blackbird, Pigeon, Duck, Water Rail, and House Sparrow)

7. Jack Cowin, Puffin mixed media and gold leaf

8. Jack Cowin, Sparrow mixed media and gold leaf

9. Jack Cowin, Fishing the Narrows mixed media and gold leaf

10. Maria Sibylla Merian detail in Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium hand-coloured engravings, 1726 edition.

11. Jack Cowin, Bees, mixed media and gold leaf

11. Maria Sibylla Merian, "Mucuna" in Metamorphosis Insectorum Surinamensium, 1726 edition.

12. Mark Catesby, "Little Blue Heron" in The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahamas Islands hand-coloured engraving, 1731-1743 edition

13. Mark Catesby, "Tang Fish, Yellow Fish" in The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahamas Islands hand-coloured engraving, 1731-1743 edition

14. Mark Catesby, "Ivory-Billed Woodpecker" in The Natural History of Carolina, Florida, and the Bahamas Islands hand-coloured engraving, 1731-1743 edition

15. William Bartram, Warmouth, watercolour and black ink, 1774

16. Sarah Stone, Grey Peacock-Pheasant, watercolour, circa 1785

17. Edward Lear, "Alexandrine Parakeet" in Illustrations of the Family Psittacidae, hand-coloured lithograph, 1832 edition.

18. Edwards Lear, "Snowy Owl" in Birds of Europe by John Gould, 1832-37

19. John James Audubon, "Red Cardinal/ Northern Cardinal" in The Birds of America 1827-1838

20. John James Audubon, "Summer Red Bird"

21. Jack Cowin, Bluebird watercolour, 2013

22. Jack Cowin, Gold Finch watercolour, 2013

Jack Cowin, Robin watercolour, 2013