JEAN CARLU (1900-1997) MON SAVON. 1925. 61 1/2x46 1/4 inches, 156x117 1/2 cm. Editions d'Art Robert Lang, Paris. Condition B+: minor restoration along vertical and horizontal folds; creases and abrasions in image; sharp crease through upper right corner; tear through top margin; minor skinning at edges. In the early 1920s Carlu became friendly with a neighbor, the young cubist painter Jean Souverbie. This relationship pointed his art in a new direction. In his much later years, Carlu recalled how a lecture by Juan Gris marked a turning point in his life. Cubism began to play a major role in the young artist's work and he began exploring brand new paths of graphic design. Carlu was lucky enough to have a major project accepted: Mon Savon, which is very important, as it is the first in which Carlu put the Cubist influences into practice. A radical break from the posters in the style of Cappiello, this image presents an orange triangle aimed dynamically at the public, with a bar of soap being thrust forward. Within the triangle, a minimalist black outline delineates a torso and an arm. Surrounding it, in the same minimalist manner, Carlu evokes the decor of a bathroom. Carlu 10, Weill 349.
