ADOLPHE MOURON CASSANDRE (1901-1968) SS. "CÔTE D'AZUR." 1931. 39 1/4x24 3/4 inches, 99 3/4x63 cm. L. Danel, Lille. Condition A-: light overpainting along repaired tears and abrasions in margins; minor abrasion and restoration in central right image. 1931 was a turning point in Cassandre's vision of steamships. Up until then, he had focused on individual design components of the boats, such as their funnels and airshafts. Beginning with l'Atlantique, Cassandre turned his attention to the ships as a whole. Côte d'Azur is the last of the "chimney series." He depicts the boat from the side, cutting off the prow and the stern, focusing only on the center with its funnel, lifeboat, airshaft and railing. Cassandre's expert use of airbrush to represent the smoke and the sky creates volume within the different elements of the ship and establishes excellent atmosphere. As he did for the majority of his posters for the Chemins de fer du Nord, Cassandre runs the typography around the outside of the image. Mouron pl. 35, Brown & Reinhold 32, Suntory 72, p. 96, Cassandre / Tokyo 43, Cassandre / Weill p. 59, Reina Sophia p. 173, Schipp & Affiche p. 147.
