Flowers of the Riverside by Edward McKnight Kauffer, 1920. Courtesy London Transport Museum
Exhibition Review: The Art of the Poster- a century of design At London Transport Museum until March 31 2009
The tradition of poster art has long been a distinctive and uplifting feature of the London Underground and now the London Transport Museum’s exhibition, The Art of the Poster, celebrates its rich history.
The show explores not only the aesthetics of the posters, but their cultural references and their ability to change the way people thought about the underground.
Taking a chronological and thematic approach, the exhibition starts with the section Art for All (1908- 1940). The first graphic poster commission for London Underground was No Need to Ask a P’liceman by John Hassall in 1908.
No need to ask a p'liceman, by John Hassall, 1908. Courtesy London Transport Museum
The artist was an excellent choice. Already established and popular, Hassall’s bold design, his humour and his use of block colour made the poster an instant success. The friendly policeman pointing out the tube map to a woman reassures those unsure of their journey.
Hassall himself understood the persuasive power of his media. He once said, “The art of the poster is the art of suggestion.”
Designing the poster consolidated his reputation in this field. He went on to run the School of Art and Design in Kensington.
This led to the company becoming a pioneering patron of poster art. The trend caught on and in the first half of the 20th century, posters were the most direct way of reaching the general public.
Pinner, Nancy Smith, 1916. Courtesy London Transport Museum
It became such a popular form of marketing that the tube was referred to as ‘London’s longest art gallery’.
The variety of posters commissioned was partly due to Frank Pick, who was Managing Director for the Underground. He said: “It’s possible to move from the most literal representation to the wildest impressions as long as the subject remains understandable to the man on the street.”
In 1916 Nancy Smith took him at his word and created a beautiful but abstract impression of Pinner which lacked the realism and detail of previous posters. But, as Pick predicted, it was a memorable image that quickly made its mark on the people rushing past.
The colours in the posters became more surreal and unnaturalistic as in Dorothy Dix’s The Hop Gardens of Kent. So much so, that a satirical poem ‘Plaint to Poster Art was published in The Manchester Guardian feigning confusion at the ‘pink skies, mauve fields and tangerine and green sheep’ of modern poster art.
Primrose Hill by Paul Catherall, artist's proof, 2007. Courtesy London Transport Museum
The posters also reflect the cultural fashions of the day. Edward Mcknight Kauffer’s poster Flowers of the Riverside, 1920, is a brilliant tribute to the Japanese influence on British Design.
There are also some lovely examples of Art Deco posters, persuading the well-heeled to take a trip to the sea-side or to the park as in Crocus Time by Andre Edouard Marty, 1933.
Mechanic and modernist approaches used in the new graphic art emerged from the 1930s and provided a fresh look to tired old tourist attractions.
Kauffer, alongside Austin Cooper, was fast becoming the premier designers of the day. He designed Power, a strong, violent image showing a clenched hand punching through a geometric construction. The lettering, considered integral to the design by Kauffer and Cooper, is sharp and leaning towards Cubism.
The next section looks at Fine Art Commissions (1921- 1951) although interesting, these do not have the eye-catching appeal and the immediacy essential to the media.
The Hop Gardens of Kent by Dorthy Dix, 1921. Courtesy London Transport Museum
Further sections explores how the posters were used to sway public opinion and Victor Galbraith’s Please Avoid the Rush Hour, 1959, with its witty and accessible graphic style is an effective example.
A film shows how artist Paul Catherall made his linocut poster View from Primrose Hill, 2007.
In more recent times commissions have been through specific initiative like Art on the Underground and with modern technologies and progressive method they have tended to follow a standard format.
However there are those that continue to challenge and push boundaries: Howard Hodgkin’s Highgate Ponds, 1990, seems to spill from the painting’s boundaries waking up the sleepy commuter with the flurry of movement and an adrenaline shot of colour.
Art on the underground is a welcome break from the soulless, endless marketing that invades our sub-conscious and adds to the daily grind of commuting in the city. It is something to be glad for and celebrate. This exhibition does just that.
Admission Costs: Exhibition is included in museum ticket price; Adults £10; Senior citizens £8; students £6.00; London Freedom Pass holders free.
