Date: 1906
Size: 44.5 x 62.5 inches.
Notes: Poster, Oversize, Lithograph, Linen Backed
Artist: Capiello, Leonetto

About The Poster: Cappiello is considered to be one of the greatest posterists of his age. Cappiello's approach was always image association - the idea that you don't really remember the image of the product itself, but the image of something is associated with the product ... Cappiello was the first who thoroughly understood this, and he applied it with considerable diligence in about a thousand posters.'(Rennert) Born and raised in Livorno, Italy, Cappiello knew at a young age that he would be an artist. In his youth, Cappiello drew caricatures and sketches, which proved he had a natural talent and an ambition that would eventually lead him to Paris in pursuit of his dream. Encouraged by his brother, who was living in Paris at the time, Cappiello endeavored to sell his caricatures to magazines that would pay and support his art. He was so ambitious that he even approached Giacomo Puccini, the composer to ask if he could sketch him. He was successful and managed to submit the images to Le Rire magazine. Soon after, Cappiello became a sought after cartoonist and caricaturist. His style, simple lines with strong colors and an equally strong product message was evident in some of the first commissions he received: an 1899 album of pochoirs depicting famous actresses of the age shows clearly that even as a young man Cappiello had already developed a style which he would use, with incredible results, throughout his creative life. Cappiello's portraits and posters were playful and unique, a quality that bred his success. His illustrations were clean and simple, crossing the boundaries from Belle Epoque through to Art Nouveau to the more modernist approach of Art Deco while still combining styles from previous eras. Because of the simplicity of his graphics, Cappiello was able to produce nearly 1000 posters in his time and was an inspiration to many lithographers to follow. His work is sought after today and may be found in galleries and museums throughout the world. 'Maurin Quina is a French apéritif advertisement painted by Leonetto Cappiello in 1906. It is perhaps Cappiello's most famous poster.The image features a devilish figure sneakily de-corking the bottle; Cappiello used 'infernal imagery' in several of his posters for alcohol. The green devil in particular evokes la fée verte (the green fairy), the nickname for absinthe, a drink popular during the Belle Époque. The product was banned by the French government shortly after it was released.

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