Alphabet Soup Nr.2

Celestino Piatti's Animal ABC, 1965

What better way to learn the alphabet than looking at pictures of animals?

Enjoy this new hodgepodge of different styles and techniques.

And for the previous collection, click here. 

John Burningham's ABC, 1980

Andrew Zuckerman, Creature ABC

Sébastien G. Orsini, Dans le mystère des animaux sauvages

 

Mary Angel, An animated alphabet

Yusuke Yonezu

Jurg Klabes, ABC mit Tieren, 1958, via Curio Books

C.B. Falls, The Book of ABCs, 1923

Brian Wildsmith's ABC, 1962

Erica Harris

Gwenola Carrère, ABC des petites annonces

Françoise Seignobosc, The gay ABC, 1930, via Curio Books

Anushka Ravishankar and Christiane Pieper, Alphabets are Amazing Animals

Jean de la Fontinelle, Alphabet, 1940s, thanks to Words and Eggs

 Julie Flett, Owls see clearly at night, a Michif alphabet

 Lois Lenski, My own ABC book, thanks to Q is for Quilter

Bittersugar Print, letterpress alphabet

Brian Wildsmith, From A to Z Teaching Cards, 1974, thanks to Jill Casey

 Seymour Chwast, Still Another Alphabet Book, 1969

Alice and Martin Provensen, A Peaceable Kingdom: The Shaker Abecedarius, 1978

Anne Rockwell, Albert B. Cub and Zebra, 1977

Walter Crane, The Noah's Ark Alphabet, 1871-72

Fritz Eichenberg, Ape in a cape, 1953, thanks to The Art of Children's Picture Books

David Frampton, My Beastie Book of ABC, 2002, thanks to Black and White

Eileen Mayo, Nature's ABC, 1944

Jean de Brunhoff, ABC of Babar, 1936

Mad Men & Crazy Critters - Happy Days

I am always drawn to the light-hearted humour and bright color palette of mid-century

illustrated posters. Their simple, playful and optimistic approach to advertising

is exemplified by the work of Hervé Morvan, who along with his friend and competitor

 Raymond Savignac defined the style of French commercial art in the 1950s.

 Refrigerateur Brandt, ca. 1950

Chocolat Lanvin, ca. 1950

Morvan was born in 1917, and after studying in Paris at the Ecole des Arts Appliqués, 

started his professional career in 1934 painting film ads on movie theatre façades. 

In 1942 he created his first movie poster, which was followed by over a hundred more. 

Among them were cinema classics such as The Grand Illusion, Les Enfants du Paradis and Gigi. 

In 1945 he took as assistant the young poster artist Léo Kouper, and the two collaborated

 until Morvan's death in 1980. Morvan started to design advertising posters in 1949, and soon

 attracted major clients including Perrier, Bally, Gitanes, Esso, Evian, Danone, and Vittel.

He abandoned the Art Deco inspiration and realistic portraiture of his early works in favour of

a more modern approach featuring stylized and funny characters painted in bold primary colors.

In 1961 he was awarded a gold medal at the grand prix de l'affiche Martini for this ad.

Cartouches Rey, 1967

In the same year Morvan created the first in a series of lovely posters 

featuring children for the campaign Jeunesse au plein air.

Morvan was a prolific artist who worked until the end of his life, 

and his poster production totals over 500 pieces, including a series

of lion-themed ads for the Lyon International fair.

In the 1950s he also illustrated a series of children's books by Jean des Vallières.

Take a look at them over at Ribambelles & Ribambins.

Sunday Safari - City Life

Viggo Vagnby, 1959 

Alice and Martin Provensen, The Animal Fair, 1952, at R.Michelson Galleries

Art Seiden, Dinosaur comes to town, 1963, thanks to Golden Gems

Syd Hoff, Sammy the Seal, 1959, thanks to Vintage Kids' Books My Kid Loves

Roger Duvoisin, Veronica, 1961

Lu Green

Wayne Pate

Vincent Mathy

Natalie Russell, Moon Rabbit

 Michael Sowa, Esterhazy, The Rabbit Prince

 Gabriella Giandelli at Galerie Martel

Chiho Makino

Victo Ngai

Beatrice Alemagna, Un Lion à Paris

Stéphane Poulin, Bestiaire

Marco Cazzato

Shuichi Nakano, Searching for paradise, thanks to Pink Tentacle