Wagon Bar 1932

This is Cassandre's 1932 poster, Wagon Bar. A composition of cool blues, blacks, and whites builds an image of train travel. I'm getting a sense of industrial mechanics and leisure, with the train wheel looming over the softer shapes of a wine glass, bottle, soda syphon, and bread. Cassandre probably wanted to capture a sense of movement and the pleasures of travel. I imagine him playing with these forms and colors like notes in a jazz composition! The wheel looks like a geometric abstraction and anchors the image. There is a feeling of streamlining and art deco style of the era. He was probably thinking about how to distill the essence of train travel into a dynamic and memorable image. Maybe he was inspired by other artists who explored these themes of modernity and motion. It's like the best art: the conversation goes on and on.