Catching Attention – The Magic of the Modern Consumer Society
It wasn’t just the fine arts that experienced a revolution in forms of expression at the beginning of the 20th century. Advertisements, which were increasingly prominent, were also influenced by societal developments and a new consumer culture, particularly in the large cities. While some people initially felt surrounded by “talking walls”, giant screens of lights, and bulky sandwich boards, soon everyone came to enjoy being seduced by the shiny appearance of the consumer society. The Nuremberg poster collection, established in the 1950s by Professor Georg Bergler at the University of Economics and Social Sciences in Nuremberg, belongs to the largest and most important of its kind. The collection brings together more than 10,000 international exhibits dating from the emergence of advertising at the end of the 19th century, up until the 1970s. The early posters are particularly interesting to look at. They illustrate not only the challenges associated with using some of the products, but also surprise us that certain manufacturers are still active today. It is worth taking an aesthetic look at the similarities in style to modern art movements, and the new forms that have emerged. Whether san-serif typography, dynamic space perspective, photographic poses, or curved brush strokes, a technique adapted from art nouveau – each poster hides an analogy to the essential stylistic directions of modernity. Then, just as now, advertising served to strengthen the forms and clichés of styles launched long before. It not only pleased consumers, but also benefited product sales overall.
Stephan Reisner
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