Studio: international art (80.1920)

THE POSTER REVIVAL

then under the direction of Mr. Charles
Aitken. He also made a number of
drawings for the illustrations of minor
magazines. His training so far as schools
of art are concerned was confined to a
little Life drawing under Mr. Swinstead at
the North London School of Art. Al-
though latterly he occupied a studio in
Fitzroy Street, he never belonged to any
of the " groups," and it is not easy to
trace any strong influence in his work. If
anything he might be grouped with
certain young artists—including Mr.
Steven Spurrier and Mr. E. A. Cox—
who owe something to the work of Mr.
Frank Brangwyn. But even the influence
of this great decorative artist did not last
very long, and Mr. Brown is now himself
being paid the tribute of imitation. As
a painter he has exhibited fairly regularly
at the International, the Royal Society
of British Artists (of which he was elected
a member in 1912), and occasionally at
the Royal Academy and the Institute of
Oil Painters. He has sent pictures by
invitation to Pittsburgh, U.S.A., and the
principal provincial galleries. He has
also designed carpets and some very
effective printed cretonnes and voiles. a

But Mr. Gregory Brown's real career
began in 1914 with his series of pesters
for the Underground Railways. In these
he succeeded in a remarkable way in
rendering sunlight in a purely decorative
manner. While studying natural forms
closely he strove to give, by means of
flat colours and bold outlines, some-
thing of the joy of sunny country lanes,
red-tiled roofs and bright skies, using
colour and tone values quite arbitrarily.
It has been urged by some critics that
the forms are a little realistic for such de-
liberately conventional colour-schemes, but
it must be remembered that many of the
Underground posters have been small
bills to be looked at close to and demand-
ing a treatment different from that used
for large posters displayed high above
the eye. Recently Mr. Brown has been
engaged on larger posters for the hoardings,
and his work has at the same time progressed
towards a greater breadth and simplicity.
Exhibitions of these posters have been
held all over the world. One of the first
advertisers to perceive the value of the

148 <

work was again the managing director
of the firm of drapers whose poster for
stockings is here reproduced. 0 0
An important aspect of the poster re-
vival is that it is a vindication of indirect
advertising. The Underground posters
were talked about more than any posters
for years, and they never gave a picture
of a train. The most widespread notion
of a poster is one giving a representation
of the object advertised. Now there are
very few articles of which it can be said
that their appeal is purely pictorial, or
that their most valuable properties can
be expressed in a picture. A picture of
a ten foot tin of cocoa does not tell you
what it tastes like. It is also so dull and
uninteresting that you do not look at it
at all. The photographic film posters
deter one from picture theatres, but the
wild decorative posters for some of the
Italian films are immensely intriguing. 0
Horace Taylor.

HADLEY WOODS

POSTER FOR THE LONDON
UNDERGROUND ELECTRIC
RAILWAY. BY F. GREGORY
BROWN, R.B.A.