Afternoon Malady

When you think of modern advertising, the global aim of executives and designers is that of subliminal coercion – to get you thinking that you absolutely must own the next must-have gadget or clothes range, without beating you over the head with the idea. Sometimes advertisers are successful in achieving this, but other campaigns may leave a bad taste in our mouths, swearing us off their products indefinitely. Often it is a fine balancing act of honesty, artistic flair and discretion, but ultimately it is the public who will cast the final vote.

Whatever the measure of advertising – there is always a heavy dose of psychology and in-house discussions before the final product is presented for the public’s general viewing pleasure. Looking back in retrospect, we’ve all become far too cynical to often take modern advertising at face value, although I myself, would love to see a resurgence of the naval-gazing approach to product marketing, rather than the exclusivity it has within printed fashion styling and perfume television ads. Even then, this style often feels gimmicky (sometimes obtrusive) and more often than not – from the brain than the heart.

One personal hero and inspiration to me, was a 19th century graphic designer (and later, artist) by the name of Alphonse Mucha. An important figure associated with the growth of Art Nouveau, Mucha’s (b. Czech Republic 1860-1939) work became an overnight sensation and announced an new ‘French’ artistic style towards the turn of 20th Century.

After being commissioned to create a lithographed poster for the play Gismonda by Victorien Sardou (starring legendary French stage and early film actress, Sarah Bernhardt) in 1894, Alphonse was contracted to produce a flurry of paintings, posters, advertisements, and book illustrations, as well as designs for jewellery, carpets, wallpaper, and theatre sets in what was initially called the Mucha Style, but became later known as Art Nouveau (French for ‘new art’).

Art Nouveau had a fifteen-year peak, and was most strongly felt throughout Europe, but its influence was indefinitely global – a movement that applied itself to the stylings within Architecture and Decorative arts.

Ultimately a victim of his own success, Mucha’s early style was often imitated, but rarely improved upon. When it came to depicting beautiful women with luscious, free-flowing hair and wearing Neoclassical-looking robes (often captured in postures of pure serenity), nobody had Mucha beat.

Although I know this fantastical style wouldn’t wash for most advertising agencies these days (how would’ve Mucha approached a modern Oil of Ulay campaign, for example), the romanticism would still be a refreshing change. The Cadbury’s Chocolate Flake adverts had a fair old crack at the whip in the early-mid Eighties (seductive, sexy but not Nouveau), but then again, television was neither the intended nor perfect medium for Mucha’s style.

The problem with this style today, I think, would be our modern expectations of Commercial art – the new, the exciting and the different. Undeniably brilliant as Mucha’s work was, such an innocent, direct approach would be frowned upon. Although smaller teams could be commissioned to create such works (ideally for print showcases, advertisements, or art covers) the pioneering of today’s technology has left us quite far removed from yesteryear’s modest advances in media production and distribution.

Just being pretty isn’t enough anymore, which I think is quite the shame. Being able to witness Mucha’s work on the streets of Paris for the first time, must have been a real sight to behold. Had I been there around the Christmas of 1894, I’m sure the advertising lure of Sardou’s Gismonda would have been impossibly tempting (providing I had the coin, of course).

A preposterous idea then, but maybe perhaps advertisers could start by throwing more caution to the wind – without being overtly calculating or sentimental? If only designers were left a little bit more to their own devices….then perhaps.

Tags: advertising, alphonse mucha, art, art nouveau, culture