CARLU Jean

French ( 1900 - 1997 )

After an accident at the age of eighteen in which he lost his right arm, Carlu turned to graphic design. His early work reveals a fascination with the angular forms and spatial nuances of Cubism. Carlu continued to show a concern with the geometric shapes of Cubism, but this was manifested in different ways. Carlu sought to create a symbolic language in which color, line, and content would represent emotional values. His work thus achieved a distinctive, streamlined economy of form, rarely incorporating narrative or illustrative elements. Carlu spent the years of World War II in the United States, where he executed a number of important poster designs for the government's war effort to promote the industrial efficiency.