JACOB JONGERT (1883-1942) APRICOT BRANDY. Circa 1920. 39 1/4x30 1/4 inches. Immig, Rotterdam. Condition B+: minor restoration and creases in image; light vertical and horizontal folds. Jongert's early work was largely influenced by Roland-Holst with whom he studied and then professionally assisted. He went on to his own career as a painter and a professor of graphic arts, becoming director of advertising and publicity for Van Nelle's Tobacco from 1923-1940. In a poster for Van Nelle's, designed slightly before this poster (see Swann Modernist Poster Auction #2079, lot 27), it became clear that Jongert's style had begun to distance itself from Roland Holst's, leaving the Art Nouveau influence behind and adapting a more geometric approach. This design for Apricot Brandy is the next step in his graphic maturation. Jongert keeps the vertically oriented, symmetrical layout, but all of the elements around the bottle become rectilinear. The effect of the angular design elements against the freely-drawn blue background creates an extremely resonant contrast, which was sure to have engaged the passerby. Modern Dutch Poster 52.
