Buttes Chaumont 1899

Curator: Jules Chéret's poster, "Buttes Chaumont," created around 1899, invites us into a vibrant scene using lithographic techniques. It is, ostensibly, advertising toys for New Year's gifts, ‘étrennes’ as the French say. Editor: There's something about the frenzy captured here. It makes me uneasy. A swarm of figures, perhaps representing privilege, racing down a blue abyss. Is it playful? Or are we witnessing the chaotic underside of late 19th-century bourgeois leisure? Curator: Notice how Chéret manipulates visual space through layering and scale. The dynamic typography mimics movement and gives the poster a clear visual hierarchy. Observe too the sinuous lines characteristic of the Art Nouveau style, combined with the flat planes of colour and almost Japonisme simplicity of composition. Editor: These ‘chérettes,’ as they were nicknamed at the time, typically showcased the female figure. Look closer at the woman pushing the cart, towering above everything. It feels pointed – considering that women and children, particularly working class women and children, didn’t always have such access to these sorts of leisurely extravagances. Curator: Perhaps. Yet I believe Chéret is after visual effect, prioritizing energy over specific narrative. He blurs boundaries between figures and ground to achieve lightness and movement. The pastel colour palette serves a purpose: the colour washes are built up by a separate lithographic stone for each colour, each laid with great precision. Editor: I don't know; there is the overt commercialism—it makes one ask about labour practices involved in creating these products, the very real social inequalities masked by such playful imagery. Can we really separate this aesthetic charm from its inherent politics? It seems irresponsible. Curator: While acknowledging that this image occupies historical context, what is compelling is its innovative manipulation of form. We have an exceptional example of poster art that manages to arrest us despite—or because of—its inherent artifice. Editor: I appreciate the craftsmanship now more—the artist has created a beguiling image that still invites deeper exploration into its implications today.