Paul Colin (artist)
He was influenced by Surrealism and Cubism, typically using very exaggerated shapes, striking colours and very stylised art forms in his work.
Colin designed posters for artists and theatres such as the Folies Bergère, the Moulin Rouge and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées.
He was one of the most important graphic artists of his time, creating more than 1,900 posters, and was a master of designing books, theatre sets and costumes.
The L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts was founded in Paris by a minister of Louis XIV, Jean-Baptiste Colbert in 1671, as a school of fine arts.
Later, he first entered the art world with the help of Eugène Vallin, a renowned furniture designer and architect, and Victor Prouvé, a sculptor, painter and engraver.
Over his lifetime, he designed dozens of posters for performers in various media, reflecting the history of Parisian show business and the public life he led.
His bold imagery, strong clean lines and brilliant colors are a hallmark of his work and showcase his superb visual communication skills.
Among these, his posters Revue Nègre and Tumulte Noir are internationally recognized for their vibrant colors and strong lines that bring out the extraordinary talent of these musicians and dancers.
[4] After the horrors of World War I, a fascination with Africa and a frenzy of American jazz swept through Paris, and "Black juggling" was very popular.
This poster shows Josephine Baker in a tight white dress, fists on hips and short hair slicked back, appearing between two black men, one wearing a hat tilted over his eyes and a plaid bow tie, the other with a broad smile.
This work is one of the greatest successes of Art Deco, as the cubist distortion admirably renders the rhythm of jazz, which was new in France at the time.
[8] In 1925, Josephine Baker and the musicians and performers of her troupe, La Revue Nègre, were hitting the stage of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris because of a wild new dance known as the Charleston.
Paul Collin boldly designed posters and sets in red, black and white to cheer the arrival of the African American dancers.
In 1926 Baker left the Revue and disbanded the troupe, but her fame continued to grow with her outstanding performances in the clubs of Paris, and in 1927 she contributed to the publication of a memoir with illustrations by Colin.
And in the same year, due to the growing popularity of Baker, Colin organized a very large event called "Bal Nègre", which was attended by about 3000 Parisians.
The success of this event, accompanied by a growing public frenzy for Baker's music and dancing, prompted Colin to create Le nomte Noir in 1929 as a celebration of this grand phenomenon.
Colin's vivid colours and lines demonstrate the extraordinary talent of these dancers and musicians, and his sketches express the Parisian fascination with all things black.
Colin found himself a muse and produced about 1900 posters and hundreds of stage sets and enabled him to achieve a pre-eminent position in French graphic arts.
