ADOLPHE MOURON CASSANDRE (1901-1968) CYCLES BRILLANT. 1925. 46x30 1/4 inches, 116 3/4x76 3/4 cm. Hachard & Cie., Paris. Condition B+: speckling throughout; minor creases and restoration along horizontal folds; darkening at edges. For this advertisement, Cassandre builds the entire composition around the incline of the bicycle. The diagonal motifs mirror the cyclist leaning into his turn at the velodrome, and the typography leans with him. Graphically, the image is a sophisticated construction composed of circles: the cyclist's eyes, his shoulders, his hands, the handlebars, and the curve of the track (where Cassandre has cleverly signed his name). The three colors, which simplify the scene, enhance the dynamic vision. "This is one of Cassandre's most economically realized images, with every contour, curve and shape serving a well-defined function. Its adherence to specificity and minimalism is truly brilliant" (Crouse p. 129). Although this is one of Cassandre's earlier posters, it is also one of his most daring attempts to stylize the human body. Not in Mouron, Cassandre / Weill 39, Suntory p. 37, Crouse p. 129.
