Les cigarettes Vautier par Cassandre

In 1935 Cassandre drew four posters for the company «Cigarettes Vautier», which resided at Yverdon-Les-Bains in Switzerland. The artist imagined how to sell tobacco in an original way. He deliberately chose a hyper-realistic style to emotionally stimulate the regular smoker.

These posters show a privileged moment for a real smoker. In each one, a large hand immortalizes a smoker’s gesture while holding the object of his desire and creates an emotional link with the cigarette consumer.

The sight of the packet «Pacific», stimulates the emotive act of smoking.
On the poster «Kisroul», it is rather the anticipation of the pleasure provoked by the perfumed aroma of tobacco that is depicted, as the smoker fills his pipe.

In these four compositions Cassandre uses two stylistic currents from the Art Deco period, of which he was a leading artist.

Art Deco Cubism is presented in these four posters, firstly by the stylisation of the shirt sleeve and the cuff button, and secondly in the general composition and typography of the work. Correspondingly, these posters refer just as much to the «Sachplakat» poster (object style) in the hyper-realist treatment of the hands and products.