Cappiello, Leonetto

Leonetto Cappiello (1875–1942) was an italian designer renowned for his innovation in poster art design during the early 20th century. Cappiello worked in a way which opposed the usual painterly quality of early advertising poster design and that of his predecessors, such as Jules Cheret. Cappiello used simple, bold characters contrasted with a dark background. From this only, the audience could relate the advertisement to a particular product, without directly identifying the figure as a particular class, gender or celebrity. This skill in graphic design lead to his audience subconsciously associating an image with a product.

With no formal art education, Cappiello began with sketches and caricatures, later leading to finished designs which captured that same individuality and liveliness. A successful example of this is Cappiello’s 1921 advertisement for Cafe Martin. The designer crossed boudaries. A clear Art Nouveau influence can be seen throughout the work, along with more modernist, Art Deco inspirations.

Bibliography: Cappiello: the posters of Leonetto Cappiello, Jack Rennert 2004
http://www.cappiello.fr/anglais/biography.htm

Dani Fitzwalter