| 1 - THE ZERMATT TRAVEL POSTERS
Largely due to the development of the transport system in the 19th century, a huge growth in the tourist industry occurred in the Alpine region.
At this time, train time-tables were decorated with small printed scenes from folklore.
From the year 1890, railway companies, tourist locations and several hotels began printing the first genuine travel posters, featuring cog-railways or idyllic scenery. Depicted in a romantic style, these lithographs are harmonious compositions bringing together scenic views of the region, illustrations of characters from folklore and a time-table or geographical map, usually linked together with golden frames and floral patterns.
At the turn of the century, as a result of a better understanding of how publicity influenced public perception, a more central design became prominent (only one image, one subject and a simple text). The posters of Anton Reckziegel or René Péan present us with a more readable image, while still maintaining a naive style.
 |
 |
Reckziegel
1898 |
E. Cardinaux
1908 |
|
|
|
|
In 1908, inspired by the visually powerful work of Ferdinand Hodler, the painter Emile Cardinaux designed an avant-garde poster for Zermatt. Drawn in a style, rather daring for its time, it is a monument to the beauty of the Matterhorn, blazing with colour and over hanging a valley cast in shadow. The image is reduced to its most essential form of expression and no excess detail is allowed to interfere with the aesthetic value of the subtle play of colour, enhanced by the lithographic printing process. Cardinaux's revolutionary poster freed the tourist poster from any realistic constraints and created a more dynamic graphic language. This poster would later influence numerous artists such as Karl Moos or the painter François Gos.
 
François Gos Pierre Kramer
1932 1932
During the nineteen twenties and thirties, the specialized curved line used by the Romantic and Art Nouveau movements was replaced by a new form of graphic design, essentially based on the use of the straight line.
Originating from the formal accomplishments of Cubism and Futurism (geometric forms, dynamism, structure and contrasting colours), graphic artists created posters of rare intellectual purity using vivid colours and highly stylised forms. A good example of this is the poster designed by Pierre Kramer in which the rigidity of form and the colour black used for the ski-jumper, contrast strongly with the blue and white of the stylised Matterhorn. Likewise, Eric de Coulon's choice of the two colours blue and red, for his poster entitled " Gornergrat " underlines the strength of the composition.
From around 1920, photography can already be seen in Swiss travel posters (composed either of only one photograph or of a photo-montage) and gradually replaced drawing methods used in the creation of travel posters. Lithography, which required several weeks work to print a poster design, was superseded during the 1950s by the much more profitable and speedy process of the offset.
If formerly, posters advertised the material and functional aspects of tourism (better transport, etc.), the year 1945 saw the appeal of more leisurely pursuits, concentrating on the benefits of health and relaxation. In post-war years such themes answered the need for a changed outlook on life.
Written by J-D. Clerc in 1994
Galerie un deux trois
c. 1994 in " Cervin, J.Rébuffat "
>> To our on line wintersport original posters exhibition >>
>> To our on line mountains original posters exhibition >> | 
E-MAIL
