Created circa 1940 by José Morell Macías, this original French-language travel poster promotes the Canary Islands as one of Spain’s most colourful and distinctive destinations. Published by the Spanish National Tourist Office, it was printed in colour lithography by Seix y Barral in Barcelona.
The composition is dominated by two figures wearing traditional island dress. A standing woman raises a white handkerchief as her voluminous pink and red skirt opens across the centre of the image, while a second figure in blue, white and yellow completes the animated scene. Their gestures suggest a traditional dance or festive celebration.
Behind them, brilliant green palm leaves evoke the subtropical vegetation of the archipelago. At the left, a delicately rendered harbour, ships and distant volcanic hills introduce the Canary Islands’ Atlantic landscape. Morell combines these descriptive details with broad areas of pure colour, creating a composition that is immediately readable from a distance.
The monumental word “Espagne” appears in orange against a deep black ground, with “Canaries” printed...
Category
1940s Abstract Prints
MaterialsLinen, Paper, Lithograph