La Rose Jacqueminot Coty 1904

Leonetto Cappiello made this poster for La Rose Jacqueminot Coty and wow, what a name to live up to! I can just imagine Cappiello dabbing paint onto this surface, layering colors to capture that fleeting essence of a perfume, trying to visualize a scent! I think he’s thinking about the alchemy of attraction. It’s all in the presentation, right? And he’s got that knowing wink down: the turned-up nose, the red hair piled high, and that gorgeous yellow dress swirling around her. And I love the way the text is integrated into the image, not just tacked on, but part of the composition itself. It reminds me of those old Russian Constructivist posters, where words and images collide to make something new.