PIERRE FIX-MASSEAU (1905-1994) EXACTITUDE. 1932.
39½x24½ inches, 100½x62¼ cm. Edita, Paris.
Condition A / A-: minor creases in image. Framed.
In one of the classic railroad images to emerge from the Art Deco era, Fix-Masseau uses the triangle of the station roof, the circle and rectangle at the front of the train and the squares on the platform to create a powerful geometric image. Most often compared to Cassandre's Nord Express in its use of perspective, Fix-Masseau captures an entirely different element of train travel than is featured in Cassandre's romanticized image - punctuality. Using warm colors and a prominent display of the station clock as the train pulls in, the artist emphasizes his message - written across the top of the poster in a typeface that is as streamlined as the design of the train itself. Modern Poster 171, Weill 382, Art Deco p. 63, Affiche Art Deco p. 63, Crouse p. 259, Metzl p. 132, Affiches Art Deco p. 85.