Jean Carlu

Born in Bonnières, France, Jean Carlu came from a family of architects and studied to enter that profession

. After an accident at the age of eighteen in which he lost his right arm,

Carlu turned to graphic design. His early work reveals a fascination with the angular forms of Cubism

Jean Carlu started his career as a professional poster-designer in 1919, after a competition by a producer of dental aids. 1918. From 1919 until 1921 he served as an illustrator,

As Carlu's work evolved over the next two decades, it continued to show a concern with the geometric shapes of Cubism, but this was manifested in very different ways. Carlu sought to create a symbolic language in which color, line, and content would represent emotional values. His work thus achieved a distinctive, streamlined economy of form, rarely incorporating

narrative or illustrative elements. He was one of the first who realised that to fix a trademark in the minds of consumers a process needs to be gone through in which schematic forms and expressive colours are applied. These are the characteristics that give his posters and other works their distinguishable quality

Carlu’s art would not be art for museums, galleries, or parlors. He wanted his art to be seen, to serve a purpose, as did the architecture of his father and brother. He also wanted to make a living. So, turning to advertising, he began with posters. They were to be posters which called for simplification in design, concentration in presentation, brevity in text. Such a conception attracted his interest and his talent.

Carlu spent the years of World War II in the United States, where he executed a number of important poster designs for the government's war effort. Characterized by the same scientific precision of form as his other work, these designs were well suited to the promotion of industrial efficiency. Both American and international design traditions continue to reflect his influence.

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http://www.derbycityprints.com/doc-details-238-artist.htm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Carlu - 20k

www.art.com/gallery/id--a9899/jean-carlu-posters.htm - 54k