Ernest Montaut (1878–1909) was a French poster artist who died at an early age. He is credited with the invention of various artistic techniques, such as

speed line Speed line is the art technique which uses streaks to convey the impression of speed. The French artist Ernest Montaut is usually credited with its invention. He used the technique freely in his posters which were produced at a time when auto r ...

s and distorting perspective by foreshortening to create the impression of speed. These techniques are still in use. Montaut's

printmaking Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed techniq ...

career started in the late 19th century. He used a lithographic stone to produce an outline of the image, the Pochoir process, often including the year of publication, the artist's name and that of the printer ''Mabileau et Cie''., Paris. Printed on the image was also a descriptive title advertising cars, tires, carburettors etc., and various sponsoring firms. The outlines were then painted by hand using watercolour paints. The process took a few days for each print and was quite labour-intensive. The different artists resulted in noticeable variations in colour.Donald Heald
Montaut’s images display action, drama and derring-do - tortuous mountain passes covered at breakneck speed by the newly invented automobile. They document early developments in the history of motorised transport, such as

motorboat racing Boat racing is a sport in which boats, or other types of watercraft, race on water. Boat racing powered by oars is recorded as having occurred in ancient Egypt, and it is likely that people have engaged in races involving boats and other wate ...

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

and motor car racing,

zeppelins A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...

and

biplanes A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a ...

. His first motoring prints were created in the mid-1890s, and by 1897, the images had become pictorial records of the many racing events in France. Montaut's work was popular in Paris and was shown in the fashionable outlets on the ''Rue de l'Opera'' and '' Rue de la Paix''. Prints continued to be produced after Montaut’s death in 1909 and it is thought that those signed 'Gamy' were created by Montaut's wife, Marguerite - 'Gamy' being an anagram of 'Magy', her nickname. Her works were occasionally signed 'M. Montaut'. Artists known to have collaborated with Montaut include Roowy, Nevil, Campion, Aldelmo, Brie, Dufourt and Jobbe du Val. Ernest Montaut13

References

External links

Montaut posters''
in the collection of the Science Museum (London). {{DEFAULTSORT:Montaut, Ernest 1878 births 1909 deaths 19th-century French painters French male painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists French poster artists 19th-century French male artists