Chemin De Fer Du Nord 1929

A. M. Cassandre made this poster for the French Northern Railway in 1929, and you can feel that it comes out of a period preoccupied with speed, luxury, and comfort. I’m thinking about the process of making this and how the artist used stencils and an airbrush. I imagine the artist having to cut and manipulate the stencils by hand. There is something that connects the artist to the image in a very corporeal and intimate way. I find myself wanting to know about how the artist felt about trains: their sound, their smell, the excitement and luxury of travel, all channeled into a poster. I love the metallic colors used in the design; it lends the artwork a certain depth of character. It reminds me that artists today are in a conversation with the artists of the past. They inspire us, and we can use the same concepts or materials that they did. It's a beautiful exchange of ideas across time.