French Culture: Customs & Traditions
Most people associate French culture with Paris, which is a centre of
fashion, cuisine, art and architecture, but life outside of the City of Lights
is very different and varies by region. Historically, the French culture was
influenced by Celtic and Gallo-Roman cultures as well as the Franks, a Germanic
tribe. France was initially defined as the western area of Germany known as
Rhineland but it later came to refer to a territory that was known as Gaul
during the Iron Age and Roman era.
While vast differences separate metropolitan and urban areas, over the
past 200 years wars — the Franco-Prussian War, World War I and World War II in
particular — have been unifying forces.
Languages of France
French is the dominant language of the country’s 65.4 million residents,
but there are a number of variants based on region. French, the official
language, is the first language of 88 percent of the population and is
typically the second language of those who speak another language.
About 3 percent of the population speak German dialects, predominantly
in the eastern provinces, and there is a small group of Flemish speakers in the
northeast. Arabic is the third-largest minority language.
Those living near the border with Italy typically speak Italian as a
second language, and Basque is spoken by people living along the French-Spanish
border.
Other dialects and languages include Catalan, Breton (the Celtic
language), Occitan dialects, and languages from the former French colonies,
including Kabyle and Antillean Creole.
Religions of France
Catholicism is the predominant religion of France — about 80 percent
identify themselves as Catholic — but the country is fairly secular and the
vast majority of those who affiliate themselves with the religion do not attend
mass regularly. Other main religions include Islam, practiced primarily by
immigrants from North Africa, Protestantism and Judaism.
Values of the French People
The French take immense great pride in their nation and government and
are typically offended by any negative comments about their country. Visitors,
particularly Americans, often interpret their attitude toward foreigners as
rude.
The expression "chauvinism" originated in France and while women
are playing a greater role in family life and business, many still see it as a
male-dominated culture.
The French embody romance and passion, and there is an open attitude
toward sex outside of marriage. Even the country’s top politicians have been
known to carry out extramarital affairs without making an effort to conceal
them. As a reflection of the country’s secular nature, about half of children
are born to unmarried couples.
The French embrace style and sophistication and take pride in the fact
that even their public spaces strike a regal tone.
The French believe in "égalité," which means equality, and is
part of the country’s motto: "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité." Many say
they place a higher importance on equality than liberty and fraternity, the other
two words in the motto.
French cuisine
Food and wine are central to life at all socioeconomic levels, and much
socializing is done around lengthy dinners.
Bread is central to any meal, and it is commonplace to see long, crusty
baguettes being carried home. Cheese is also an essential part of any French
meal.
While cooking styles have changed to emphasize lighter fare, many still
associate French cooking with heavy sauces and complicated preparation. Some
classic French dishes include boeuf bourguignon — a stew made of beef braised
in red wine, beef broth and seasoned with garlic, onions and mushrooms — and
coq au vin, a dish made with chicken, Burgundy wine, lardons (small strips or
cubes of pork fat), button mushrooms, onions and optional garlic.
French clothing
Paris is known as the home to many high-end fashion houses; the French
people are known for their understated elegance in clothing.
Many French people dress in a sophisticated, professional and
fashionable style, but it is not overly fussy. Typical outfits include nice
dresses, suits, long coats, scarves and berets.
French art
Art is everywhere in France — particularly in Paris and other major
cities — and Gothic, Romanesque Rococo and Neoclassic influences can be seen in
many churches and other public buildings.
Many of history’s most renowned artists, including Spaniard Pablo
Picasso and Dutch-born Vincent van Gogh, sought inspiration in Paris, and they
gave rise to the Impressionism movement.
The Louvre Museum in
Paris is among the world’s largest museums and is home to many famous works of
art, including the Mona Lisa and Venus de Milo.
Holidays and celebrations
The French celebrate the traditional Christian holidays of Christmas and
Easter. They mark May Day, also known as Labor Day, on May 1. Victory in Europe
Day on May 8 commemorates the end of hostilities in Europe in World War II.
Bastille Day is celebrated on July 14, the day the Bastille fortress in Paris
was stormed by revolutionaries to start the French Revolution.American advertising is designed to inform and persuade. French advertising is designed to seduce. To understand French advertising, you must understand this fundamental difference.
In a 1993 study of French advertising creative
directors, four characteristics emerged from a series of qualitative interviews
that describe the essence of the French approach to advertising. The four
charactertistics are : la séduction, le spectacle, l'amour, and l'humour.
La séduction: The French verb "seduire" does not always carry the same
connotation as the English word "seduce." One meaning of
"seduire" is to "lure to sexual intercourse," but more
commonly it means to tempt, to fascinate, to attract, to charm, or to entice. A
good French advertisement is one that tempts the consumer with its offering.
Le spectacle: "Spectacle" incorporates the meanings of sight, an attraction, a
show, a play, a story, a lavish production, high production values. A good
French ad is one that has the drama, the entertainment value, the production
values, and the excitment of the theatre.
L'amour: Romance and innuendo are integral parts of French culture and as such
form an integral part of French advertising. A slogan such as "the coffee
of desire" (un café nommé désir) brings
together two cultural expectations for advertising: (1) romantic notions should
be expressed or alluded to whenever possible and (2) advertising should not
focus on product functions.
L'humour: Humor is central to French advertising. It may take the form of ribald
approaches that may be shocking to Americans or the humor expressed in the
playful use of words and amusing associations.
Some Examples of French Advertising
This ad for Levi's loose
fitting jeans incoporates concepts of seduction, romantic story, and humor. 
This athletic shoe ad
demonstrates elements of seduction and humor.
Translation: "I feel naked without
them."
This ad for Bordeaux wine incorporates a visual pun, play on words, humor, and romantic notion.
Image Surfing
Proposition-Bring Cadbury's into popular French designs/posters from the past with a twist. using the same style of type/print and other techniques to show the cadbury's products in the designs
In the late nineteenth century, 'Le Chat Noir' was a Parisian cabaret
located in the risqué arrondissement of Montmartre. 'The Black Cat' was a
fitting name for such a locale, conjuring up as it does images of black magic
and witches, and was probably influenced by Edgar Allan Poe's short story of
the same name, published in 1847.
Perhaps the most timeless and recognizable image
associated with absinthe is the extraordinary poster for Absinthe Robette which
was created by Belgian posterist Henri Privat-Livemont in 1896. Elegantly
composed, it features a beautiful woman in a sheer gown elevating a glass of
absinthe in admiration and wonder. The traditional implements of a perforated
absinthe spoon and a sugar cube rest on top of the Yvonne glass. Note that the
sugar cube is very large, as most sugar cubes were during this time period.
Also note how the absinthe spoon has a slight hook at the tip. While not
common, some absinthe spoons were designed this way in order to hold the
spoon onto the rim more securely.
Beyond the sheer beauty of this poster, what is of note
to absinthe enthusiasts is the brand name of Absinthe Robette. This poster was
extremely well-known during its initial run, and has been reproduced countless
times in the 100+ years since then, but to date, a bottle of Absinthe Robette
has never been found to exist, despite numerous bottles of other brands such as
Pernod Fils and Edouard Pernod having been discovered in old bars, upstairs
attics and hidden caches over the years. Very little is known about Absinthe
Robette in fact, except that it was a Belgian brand of absinthe (of which there
were few) and that it was a verte. And yet the brand lives on in name forever,
associated with the most iconic absinthe poster of all time.
Dear readers, if you happen to stumble upon a bottle of
this undoubtedly fine refreshment, please get in touch with me immediately! I
will be more than happy to help you carefully dispose of the contents, one sip
at a time.
There are
not many people out there who don’t appreciate the classic french posters that
seem to pop up on so many of our walls. I’ve tried to pick a few
alternate choice for this post and steer clear of the more well known ones we
all know. Of course I have thrown in a few old movie posters that caught
my eye. The artwork on most (maybe not all!) of the old movie posters
shows real artistry, real painters & designers who have inspired
generations. Incidentally most of the movies I’ve included feature
Humphrey Bogart on them, another of the all time greats!
Poster Printing
"In 1878, a German named Alloys Senefelder created the printing method known as lithography from the word "lithos" or stone. The ink is carried on a flat surface rather than on raised edges or in incised lines. It was not until the mid-1800's, however that the lithographic process would be perfected. It was Cheret who would refine the lithographic printing technique and master the creation of colour lithography.
"In 1878, a German named Alloys Senefelder created the printing method known as lithography from the word "lithos" or stone. The ink is carried on a flat surface rather than on raised edges or in incised lines. It was not until the mid-1800's, however that the lithographic process would be perfected. It was Cheret who would refine the lithographic printing technique and master the creation of colour lithography.
In early
lithographic posters, the artist or an assistant would draw the image desired
onto a slab of limestone using a grease crayon (It should be noted that most
posters were actually drawn on the stone or plate by a master lithographer,
other than the artist, from preliminary studies, with the artist's approval and
guidance).
However,
most people do not realize what a cumbersome exacting process stone lithography
really was. It had major drawbacks. The limestone was most often Bavarian
limestone which was heavy, fragile and expensive. In addition, a separate stone
was needed for each different colour of the poster. Sometimes as many as nine
or ten stones were used! When the printing run was completed, often the stones
were ground down to the first image and then used again for another poster.
After the
ink was applied to the stone, the paper was laid on the stone, a metal backing
was laid down on top, and the entire stone passed on runners under a wooden bar
called a scraper, which applied pressure to lift the ink from the stone to the
paper. The process had to be repeated for each colour.
Commercial
printers started using roughened zinc (plates) instead of the limestone, and
they were called "lithographs." ("les Maitres de l'Affiche")are lithographs printed in this
manner) The distinctive feature about most lithographs (original posters) is
the evenness with which the ink is applied to the paper. Under a magnifying
glass one can see that the colours are evenly distributed, and it is one method
of identifying a poster as a lithograph (rather than a recently printed photo
offset reproduction of a lithograph which has a visible fine dot screen).
What would
happen to dramatically change the way in which posters were created and printed
was the advent of photography in printing. They became known as
photolithographs (or photo offset, or simply offset), and it is the printing
process most commonly used by commercial printers today (with digital printing
becoming the next level). Most commercial (advertising) posters since World War
II are photolithographs, while most posters done before World War II are
lithographs. Posters which are printed by stone or zinc (plate) lithography
will always be more valuable than those produced by photographic means." (Fusco pp.31-34)
The Subjects
"The Industrial Revolution in full swing, once basic consumer need's were covered, marketers found it profitable to create new needs, ones consumer's never knew they had. Posters were an ideal way to educate consumers about what they should want.
To convince consumers that fashion, status and convenience were as valid reasons to buy as necessity, marketing experts soon discovered the persuasive technique of showing products being enjoyed by beautiful people in beautiful settings. Pretty women soon smiled out of billboards selling everything imaginable (from gas lighting, laundry soap, medicine, cigarettes, bicycles, cookies, travel destinations, stores, art exhibitions, magazines, to wine and beer).
"The Industrial Revolution in full swing, once basic consumer need's were covered, marketers found it profitable to create new needs, ones consumer's never knew they had. Posters were an ideal way to educate consumers about what they should want.
To convince consumers that fashion, status and convenience were as valid reasons to buy as necessity, marketing experts soon discovered the persuasive technique of showing products being enjoyed by beautiful people in beautiful settings. Pretty women soon smiled out of billboards selling everything imaginable (from gas lighting, laundry soap, medicine, cigarettes, bicycles, cookies, travel destinations, stores, art exhibitions, magazines, to wine and beer).
Posters for
alcoholic beverages provide a good example of art leading the way to break a
taboo. In the 19th century, drinking by women was regarded with scorn. As a
result liquor ads were addressed almost exclusively to men. Knowing how
persuasive men find a pretty face (and a good figure), the posterists put women
in liquor posters and showed them not only praising the product but actually
sampling it (such as Dubonnet, Vin Mariani, Absinthe Robette, and Mumm
Champagne).
With more
money and leisure time, the urban population reached out for intellectual and
spiritual experiences. Now better educated, people acquired an appreciation of
culture, art, and literature. As the posters for publications attest, there was
a hunger for books, newspapers and magazines that brought the outside world to
the reader as never before (such as Harper's, Lippincott's, Le Journal, Pan,
Gil Blas, Le Rire,
and La Revue Blanche)." (Gold)
and La Revue Blanche)." (Gold)
With the
debut of Sarah Bernhardt, and the poster that immortalized her (PL. 27), other female stars emerged, and graced the most
beautiful posters ever created. Striking images of Yvette Guibert, Eugenie
Buffet, Camille Stefani, Jane Avril, La Goulue, and Loie Fuller are not easily
forgotten.
Ideas-
Ideas-
- Recreate Classic Poster
- Place Cadbury products into posters (using original image)
- Use Print style to create posters
References
Taylor, Ronald E., Hoy,
Mariea, and Haley, Eric. "How French Advertising Professionals Develop
Creative Strategies, Journal of Advertising25(Spring 1996)1-14.
