Fleur Des Nieges 1905

This is a poster made by Leonetto Cappiello. The name of the piece is Fleur Des Nieges. I’m drawn to the way the image is built from flat planes of bold colour and strong outlines – everything is very crisp and decisive. There’s a real sense of graphic confidence in the way Cappiello uses color. The sharp contrast between the red coats and the stark white snow creates a dramatic visual punch. The fur trim is rendered with a playful, almost cartoonish quality, but somehow it totally works, grounding the image in the everyday. Then there are the shadows, implied with a very subtle hatching technique. It’s almost like a whisper of tone. Look how this contrasts with the flat bold colour in the rest of the piece. Cappiello reminds me a little of Toulouse-Lautrec, someone who understood the power of simple forms and striking color to grab your attention. Ultimately, this poster is all about capturing your gaze.