HANS RUDI ERDT (1883-1918) NOTTE VENEZIANA. 1908. 26 3/4x37 inches, 68x94 cm. Hollerbaum & Schmidt, Berlin. Condition B / B+: losses, repaired tears and creases in margins and image. Hans Rudi Erdt was one of the most prolific and prestigious poster artists in Berlin at the beginning of the 20th century. Along with three of the other most prominent designers of the era, Lucian Bernhard, Julius Klinger and Julius Gipkens, Erdt worked for the printer Hollerbaum & Schmidt. He produced posters for a wide variety of clients and his designs, punctuated by flat colors and strong outlines, reflect his talent as a draftsman, along with a great sense of stylization and a flair for layout. "Venetian Nights" was a party thrown by the Union of Berlin Journalists and was advertised as a "water festival." Erdt uses a flat plane of color to evoke a gondola sliding diagonally through the image. The somber colors are offset by brightly lit lanterns and the festively dressed partygoers seen in the background. Julius Klinger also designed a poster for this event. DFP-III 762, Wember 260.
