Green Alligator Poster

Green Alligator borrows the language of early twentieth century Italian advertising and uses it for an aperitif that never existed. An alligator stands upright on its hind legs against a near-black ground, body painted in flat yellow and olive with a dark outline, tail curled behind it, one arm thrown up and the other holding a bottle labelled APERITIF above its head. Its mouth is open in something between a grin and a roar. Below, VERDE VIVO is set in heavy yellow capitals, with APERITIVO DIGESTIVO and a founding line in smaller type underneath. The colour is laid down flat with no shading, the way a lithographed poster would print.

The black ground makes this a strong piece, and it does best with a frame that does not compete: black or dark oak keeps it in the poster tradition, while light oak lifts the yellow and makes it friendlier. Hang it where there are bottles and glasses, so a bar corner, a kitchen wall or a dining room, and let it sit on a plain wall rather than in a group. It pairs with brass, dark wood and green glass.