Para Todos was a Brazilian magazine dedicated to arts and culture, initially founded as a film journal in 1918. The bold covers that you see here were illustrated by José Carlos, who took over as director in 1922. Carlos was an incredible graphic designer and illustrator in the Art Deco world, but is largely unknown in the greater cannon. Why? Location, possibly. Brazil isn't commonly associated with the linework and careful color of the movement. Europeans tend to hold the spotlight on Art Deco and Art Nouveau alike.
Carlos has his own unique take on the style of the time, and offers a particularly beautiful and unique design sensibility that I've never seen anywhere else.
These highly theatrical images reflect their time in style but, I think, don't feel dated.
The Rio De Janeiro-born artist also wrote samba lyrics and Vaudeville lyrics in addition to his estimated 100,000 drawings. Some were political, some were… of questionable taste and not included here, some were purely indulgent, all of them are beautiful. The covers of Para Todos are the work of a true master craftsman
I can't think of other artists that blend this sense of line, form and simple colorways so easily. Sure, there are artists that operate in a similar lane, but Carlos' work is entirely his own. And compared to his contemporaries, I think that his work is subtler and his compositions more strikingly composed.
What amazing, exquisite work. I can hear the samba (and some psychedelic residue) oozing out of each image.
Previously: Magazines from Blade Runner
