CHARLES LOUPOT (1892-1962) LION NOIR / CIRAGE - CRÈME. 1949. 46 1/4x63 1/4 inches, 117 1/2x160 1/2 cm. Atelier Loupot, Paris. Condition A- / A: minor expertly-repaired tears and creases along vertical and horizontal folds; minor abrasions along horizontal fold. Lion Noir was a shoe polish company that frequently relied on poster advertising to promote their brand. Loupot created for them what can only be considered a printer's tour de force, creating an image using two different kinds of black ink: a matte and a shiny. The deepness of the blacks is quite stunningly accentuated by the lion's white eyes. The yellow stripe within his eyes echoes the company packaging. Zagrodski cites Raymond Gid's enthusiastic response to this poster, "it sold the essential: the black" (Loupot p. 94). Loupot 111, Loupot / Musee de l'Affiche 96, Loupot / Forney 66, Loupot Peintres p. 91.
