Olympic

Poster Analysis Essay

The Chamonix Mont-Blanc Winter Olympic Games official poster, was completed 1924, by
Auguste Matisse and produced by the Paris-Lyon-Mediterane (PLM) Company. The composition is
comprised of a scene depicting a large brown eagle holding a palm branch as well as a laurel wreath
bonded by a ribbon bearing the colours of the French flag in its talons, which is located in the foreground of
the poster, and also serves as the focal point of the piece and is obviously placed in such a position as to
directly draw attention to it. The middle ground, which is composed of a team of five bobsledders wearing
gold uniforms who are adjacent to an ice rink donated to Chamonix by the PLM company and the
background, which is composed of a yellow-brown bridge along with a small dark green forest area and a
large alpine mountain called The Rserve naturelles des aiguilles rouges. The painting is clearly split into
three sections, the first is the focal point, which is the brown eagle, the second is the team of gold
uniformed bobsledders clearly in movement and the third is the alpine mountain, the blue sky and the
brown bridge. This segregation of the painting is made possible by the clear differences in depth of the
three areas as well as the different complimentary colours used, mainly brown, yellow, white and blue. The
eagle is also used as a way to lead the eyes from the top of the composition down to the bobsledders, which
in turn leads the eye to the alpine mountains and up to the blue sky.
The Chamonix 1924 Winter Olympic poster has a clear emphasis on symbolism and underlying
messages. One of the most symbolic references in the composition is the focal point of the poster, which is
the previously mentioned brown eagle. In French history, the eagle is associated with the French Imperial
Eagle, which was the symbol of the French Army created by the Emperor Napoleon in 1804. An equally
important symbolic reference is the fact that the eagle is holding both a palm branch (a symbol of victory,
triumph and eternal life), as well as a laurel crown (which is a symbol of victory and wealth) in its talons.
Both the palm branch and the laurel wreath are bound together by a ribbon bearing the colours of the
French flag. The binding of the symbols of victory and wealth could be a way for France to show of its
strength and intimidate its opponents. The designer used an interesting use of space to segregate the
different sections of the poster as well as provide emphasis on several key components. The large eagle is
placed directly above the bobsledders, which provides a clear understanding of how close the eagle is to the
viewer. In addition, the size of the bridge in the background contrasts with the large alpine mountains,
which could be a way to show off the sheer enormity of the landscape. Lastly, the illustrator used a variety
of warm, lightly saturated complimentary colours to complete the poster. This provides a sense of contrast
and provides emphasis on the brown eagle. The constant use of contrasting colours in the poster could be a
symbol for the diversity of the countries that would be attending the Chamonix 1924 Olympic games.
The Chamonix Olympic Poster is made of a bold and simple design with numerous underlying
messages that might not be apparent at first glance. The intended concept/message behind the poster is that
of French history and culture. This message is demonstrated through the use of the eagle holding a palm
branch and laurel wreath in its talons, a symbol for the victory and wealth of the French population. The
eagle directly relates to 18th century Europe due to the fact that it can be interpreted as the French Imperial
eagle created by Napoleon in 1804. The reason that the eagle depicted is brown is due to the fact that the
original French Imperial Eagle was made out of bronze. The artist/designer is trying to convey the idea that
France is very strong and will emerge victorious in the winter games. The use of the warm colours could be
a way to welcome and encourage other countries to compete, due to the fact that there are no harsh colours
that would indicate otherwise. Personally, I believe this message to be extremely well thought out and
therefore appropriately communicated to the general public. The original message of the poster might not
be overly obvious but the fact that an eagle (which is usually associated with something symbolic) is
presented holding a palm branch and a laurel wreath bonded by a ribbon bearing the colours of the French
flag, could be easily interpreted as the French trying to show their strength and anticipation of victory.