Nouveau Cirque, 251, Rue St. Honoré 1886

This vibrant poster by Jules Chéret was made using lithography, a printmaking process which allows for vibrant colors and mass production. It's crucial to understand that lithography wasn't just a way of reproducing images, it transformed visual culture. Suddenly, eye-catching posters could be made quickly and cheaply, plastering urban spaces with advertising. Look closely, and you’ll notice the dynamic composition, the way Chéret uses bold lettering and a swirling design to capture the energy of the circus. The poster is not just about art, it’s about commerce, about turning entertainment into a product for mass consumption. It speaks volumes about the changing landscape of work and leisure at the time. Chéret was not only an artist, he was part of a much larger industrial and economic system.