Paul Colin (artist) facts for kids

Paul Colin (27 June 1892 – 18 June 1985) born in Nancy, France, died in Nogent-sur-Marne. Colin was a prolific master illustrator of Decorative Arts posters. Alexandre-Marie Colin (5 December 1798 – 21 November 1875) was a relative.

Paul Colin was a professional artist, scenographer, graphic designer and theatre painter. He specialised in theatre sets, book design and costume design. During his lifetime he created over 1900 posters and worked in theatre for more than 40 years. He was praised for the perfect combination of organic and graphic themes with geometric forms. He was influenced by Surrealism and Cubism, typically using very exaggerated shapes, striking colours and very stylised art forms in his work. He used a large palette of colours to emphasise the energy and meaning conveyed by his subjects, and his art is strongly in the style of the Art Deco movement. Many of his most famous illustrations were created for Jazz Age music and theatre. His designs incorporate jazz elements, bold and striking colors, Cubist and Surrealist. Highly stylized or caricaturized humanoids are strangely juxtaposed with geometrically overlapping objects such as Cubist collages. His own background in painting and his love of theatre helped him to become one of the most important French poster artists of the 1920s and 1930s.

Colin designed posters for artists and theatres such as the Folies Bergère, the Moulin Rouge and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. In addition, he produced posters for various festivals, exhibitions, products and companies. For example, he designed posters for French films such as Le Voyage Imaginaries and produced stage and costume designs for theatres. He taught for over 40 years at the "Ecole Paul Colin" graphic arts school in Paris, where many graphic artists and designers have benefited.

He was the master of painter Philippe Derome and poster artists duo Lefor-Openo

An original vintage poster of singer and Broadway star Adelaide Hall by Paul Colin advertising Blackbirds at the Moulin Rouge in 1929, sold on 2 October 2003 at Swann Auction Galleries in New York for $167,500. The sale signalled a record high for an original Paul Colin poster.

Biography

Paul Colin was a maestro of the Art Deco poster. 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. He apprenticed at a printing house in Nancy at the age of 15 and through his teenage years, then he entered L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1913. 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. It provides tuition in painting, sculpture and engraving for students selected through competitive examinations. He achieved great academic success at school. 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. He is the teacher of Bourgeois Louise, an installation artist.

Throughout his career, Colin adjusted the Art Deco style to his own distinctive style, evolving with his understanding of symbolism and abstraction. He excelled in the deceptively simple way in which he portrayed his work. 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 posters are highly stylised, concentrating on themes in the performing arts, dance, studio art and theatre. His bold imagery, strong clean lines and brilliant colours are a hallmark of his work and showcase his superb visual communication skills.

Josephine Baker and Paul Colin

a portrait of Josephine Baker

In 1925, Josephine Baker and the musicians and performers of her troupe were hitting the stage of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris because of a wild new dance known as the Charleston. At this time the Jazz Age was in its peak, and Josephine Baker was a representative of that era. Her performance was a huge success in France in 1925. Paul Collin boldly designed posters and sets in red, black and white to cheer the arrival of the African American dancers. Paul Colin's painting captures the lively gestures of the 'wild dance' of the Charleston dance, which was imported from America, and the rhythms of the new art form known as jazz.

In 1926 Baker left the show 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 organised a very large event 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. Baker is portrayed twice in this series of works. These works were intended as a tribute to Josephine Baker and other African American actors. They attracted the attention of the Parisian public during the années folles. Colin's vivid colours and lines demonstrate the extraordinary talent of these dancers and musicians.

Paul Colin met Josephine Baker in the troupe. Paul observed rehearsals for two or three hours but was dissatisfied with the stars and immediately met Josephine Baker. He persuaded the theater's management to make her a star instead of another woman. Then they "organised a grand theatrical event with a grand evening at the theatre with dinner including caviar and champagne”, the next morning, Josephine was unanimously welcomed by the Parisian press. Colin's poster made Josephine a focal point in the town. The two became lifelong friends.

Baker and Colin's encounter was lucky for both of them. Baker found a loyal supporter who would introduce her to French society and to some of Paris' artistic elite. 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. Josephine eventually became one of the premier stars of the Paris Opera and one of the most popular entertainers in Paris. This story is a collaboration between these two artists and a visual history of the excitement for music in the Parisian era known as the 'jazz boom'. And both Josephine Baker and Paul Colin were awarded the Croix de Guerre for their bravery during the war.

Academic and career

In 1923, Paul Colin met André Daven, the new director of the Champs-Elysées theatre, who was seeking talent and new shows. Colin designed his first poster for the film Imaginary Journey Voyage two years later, and in the meantime, he began work for Josephine Baker in the same year. Colin captured the Jazz Age in Paris in his work for Le Tumulte Noir. It was the poster that launched him to fame, and he created other works in his signature style. He then designed theatre and film sets, which made him famous throughout Paris. Paul Colin founded his poster school in 1930, which trained many talented designers for the future. Paul Colin worked until the 1970s. For more than 40 years, he worked in theater, creating nearly 2,000 posters and hundreds of stage sets.