Mario Puppo: Campania Tourism Posters

Mario Puppo (Levanto 1905 - Chiavari 1970) was an Italian illustrator and graphic designer who, despite his significant contributions to the promotion of Italian tourism, remains mostly unknown. 

Already in the 1930s, he began creating brochures in his studio in Chiavari to advertise seaside and mountain destinations. 

In 1941, his works were exhibited in the Graphic Advertising salon at the National Exhibition of the Fine Arts Union in Milan. He designed several covers for sheet music, catalogs, and brochures. But it was especially in the 1950s that Mario Puppo designed most of the tourist posters on the market at that time. 

He also created posters for performances at the theaters of Ostia and Pompeii. 

One of his most important works was his collaboration with ENIT, the Italian National Tourism Agency, with whom he created a large number of posters that were instrumental in promoting the tourism industry of Italy and the Campania region. 

ENIT played a crucial role in promoting Italian tourism during the 1950s and 60s. One of the most effective ways to attract visitors was through the use of illustrated posters that showcased the most beautiful italian tourist destinations, natural beauties, traditions, and cultural heritage of the country. 

Puppo’s posters for ENIT Campania are characterized by a pictorial that combines bright and vibrant colors with geometric shapes, drawing inspiration from avant-gardes such as Cubism and Surrealism. Puppo developed his own visual language and style called “pupazzettato,” which used simple and colorful shapes and incorporated symbols and characters from the realm of cartoons or comic book characters. 

At the same time, modern Italian graphic design was taking shape, especially in Milan, and there was a gradual reduction in the use of pictorial and realistic representations. This change was manifested through its modern and functional aesthetic, with the adoption of photographic collages, abstract figures, expressive use of white space, and asymmetrical compositions. Richard Hollis described this trend as the “Milanese style,” which developed mainly in the service of industry and technological and economic progress. 

Puppo’s style seems to perfectly represent a timeless image of Italy. While the “Milanese style” aimed for modern and efficient communication, Puppo’s art conveys a sense of tradition. 

Through the posters created for ENIT, Puppo finds himself representing an Italy that is slowly disappearing. These were the years of economic boom and massive industrialization, a country that would soon abandon and renounce its peasant and artisan traditions. However, in those posters, these traditions are still depicted as an invitation for tourists, creating a nostalgic and captivating image of Italy as a land of tradition, beauty, and culture. 

Sources:

Museo Collezione Salce, Treviso (TV). 

GALLERIA L’IMAGE - Manifesti Originali del XX Secolo Alassio (SV) 

Barrese, Manuel, (2020), Promuovere la bellezza. Enit: cento anni di politiche culturali e strategie turistiche per l’Italia, ENIT. 

Priarone, G., (1989), Grafica pubblicitaria in Italia negli anni trenta, Cantini, Firenze. 

Archivio storico Barilla https://www.archiviostoricobarilla.com/