A.M. CASSANDRE (ADOLPHE MOURON, 1901-1968) VINAY. 1930. 62 1/8x45 5/8 inches. "Les Belles Affiche," St. Lazare. Condition B+: overpainting in top margin; repaired tear through image; abrasions in image. Hand signed in crayon. Cassandre was a man of the Machine Age, and during the 1930s he composed his posters like an architect. His depictions of modes of transportation, whether they be trains or boats, are masterpieces. However, they are visual odes to angles, forms and shapes that are devoid of any sensuality. It is a method that does not apply as well to living beings as it does to powerful vehicles, as we see here. For this brand of chocolate, Cassandre embarks on a complicated composition that involves a rearing cow, and an unusual, geometric representation of a chocolate bar. Raymond Savignac, who was Cassandre's assistant, proved that a cow, when rendered with humor and a light touch, could be a very effective graphic advertising tool, as witnessed in his great poster for Monsavon soap. It is also curious to note that this poster was printed by "Les Belles Affiches," who were not Cassandre's regular printers. Mouron 131, Chocolate p. 63.
