Qu’attendent-ils?
Lithography on paper
‘Misti’ was the pseudonym for Ferdinand Mifliez, who trained as an industrial designer and in 1890 began working as a lithographer at Cheret’s Chaix printing house. Misti was a frequent exhibitor at the Salon des Artistes Francais. Among the great artists of his day, Misti was perhaps most famous for his direct and explicit style. Largely avoiding over ornamentation, his bold use of line and colour influenced many younger artists.
This is the first poster of a cinematic triptych. In this poster we see a harried officer trying to hold back a crowd of people eagerly lining a road waiting for something to approach: “What are they waiting for?” (“Qu’attendent-ils?”).
The steepness of the incline is indicated by the roadside sign which states “Chevaux de Renfort” (“Reinforcement Horses”), a notification that states more horses need to be hitched to a wagon to get it up the hill. The village along the way is “Mistiville”.
Printing house R. Carvin, 42, R.S. Merri, Paris
Printing fault: Carvim