Team Cafe
Apart from their commercial viability, advertisements and posters inevitably have a way of cashing in on significant events and heroes. The hugely popular Amul advertisements are a point in case.
Aware of the immense wealth of information and history that these advertisements hold, the Mairie de Paris (Townhall) and the Bibliothèque de Paris (Library) decided to put together a novel exhibition of ‘The History of France in Advertising’ (L’histoire de France racontée par la publicité) earlier this year in Paris. “Advertisements have always used important characters to promote products. They recapture old moments – be it political or other landmarks – and retell history through humouristic portrayals of its heroes and events,” explains Laurene Gibert, Director, Alliance Française, Panjim.
Curated by Claudine Chevrel and Beatric Cornet, prints of the original exhibition still on display in Paris were brought to India by Alliance Française in September last year, commencing its journey in Chandigarh. Now making a stop in Goa, the exhibition coincides with the French Bastille Day, which is observed on July 14. “The idea is to familiarise people with the history of France. It shows how advertising used the main characters of the more prominent eras of France. But yet again the exhibition speaks to the French citizen or those who study and are familiar with French history,” reiterates Laurene of the exhibition, which consists of advertisements and posters, spanning an era from the 4th Century BC commencing with the Gauls right up to the 1980s.
Preceded by a historical background, the 12-part exhibition which portrays the more popular topics back then – liquor, cigarettes, clothes and chocolates – highlights it’s most prominent heroes and events. Our Ancestors the Gauls (Part 1); Charlemange, the Emperor with the Flowered Beard’ (Part 2); Joan of Arc (Part 3); Francis 1 of France (Part 4); Henri IV of France (Part 5); Louis XIV of France (Part 6); The French Revolution (Past 7); Napoleon Bonaparte (Part 8); Colonial Conquests (Part 9); Images of Soldiers (Part 10); May 68 (Part 11) and Marianne (Part 12) constitute the various segments of the exhibition.
“The 1934 advertisement by the Celtique brand of cigarettes speaks of the strength of the Gaul. Another, Cognac Raynal in 1900, alludes to the grace and old age of Charlemange or Charles the Great. Similarly, a garment company portrays their outfits as feminine yet sturdy, comparing them to Joan of Arc and Napoleon Bonaparte who was famous for serving his troops cognac before a battle, forms an allegory for ‘the Brandy of Napoleon’ advertisement,” explains Laurene of some of the advertisements on display.
The exhibition is indeed a window to the past, recapturing stories in its own inimitable way.
(The exhibition, ‘The History of France in Advertising’, is on display at the Alliance Française, Altinho, Panjim and will remain open to the public up to July 31, 2015)