Exposition De Tableaux And Dessins De A. Willette 1888

Jules Chéret designed this advertisement poster for an exhibition of paintings and drawings by Adolphe Willette, likely in the late 19th century. The poster presents a woman artist, palette in hand, seated before the looming shadow of a male figure. It seems a clear comment on the gendered dynamics of artistic production at the time. Consider that the address displayed, 34 Rue de Provence, was indeed the address of Willette’s studio. Chéret designed this poster to attract viewers to a commercial art exhibition and, as such, was not necessarily critiquing institutional norms, however, the image may comment on the conditions necessary for male artistic success in that period. To more fully understand the poster’s nuances, we might consult exhibition catalogs from the time, as well as biographical information on both Chéret and Willette. What we glean from art like this, depends so much on the social and institutional settings from which it arose.