Leonetto Cappiello posters are powerful evocative advertisements which are still as strong in their message as they were in the early 1900′s. He developed a keen insight into the enormous power of effective communication, making him the most popular poster artist of his time.
Often, artists are able to help capture history in their work. Sometimes they are instrumental in creating history. Leonetto Cappiello was one of those artists.
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 Noveau 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.
The walls of my house are filled with replicas of this most famous designs. The first was acquired at a poster sale at the University of Western Sydney in my first year of study and the others slowly acquired since then.
