In general I find modernism boring. I tend to harken back to the overly done designs of yesteryear when I look for design inspiration. The art of Alphonse Mucha is some of my favorite. I love the ethereal beauty of the women, the undulating spirals of the background designs and the very creative lettering. Helvetica it is not, but it inspires me in a way simplistic, modern, clean design doesn't. More on Mucha from wikipedia can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alphonse_Mucha
And from the Mucha museum in Prague: http://www.mucha.cz/
This particular ad for Absinthe is compelling for multiple reasons. Its risque, sheer draping on the woman leaves little to the imagination, something quite exotic for the late 19th century. While the extended articism is rarely seen in ads today, (how many ads would you frame and put on your wall?), It does something with the text that advertisers are trying to return to. That is, it simply says what the product is. No long winded marketing copy about who, where, why, and how you should consume Absinthe. It simply acknowledges its existence in the marketplace. By the artwork you know you should look into what this Absinthe might be like because hey, a beautiful, scantily clad woman is offering it up to the Gods. If you are a woman seeing this, as I am, you see the beauty, elegance, and sensuality you hope to project. As I imagine, a man would see the object of his desire, and Absinthe as the way to her. Yes I realize my dramatic design ideals are not quite in line with the thinking of today but that is why I love the 21st century. We get to pick and choose from all of the centuries that came before and exert our individuality in ways never before imagined.
