Art Nouveau posters and graphic arts flourished and became an important vehicle of the style, thanks to the new technologies of color

lithography Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

and

color printing Color printing or colour printing is the reproduction of an image or text in color (as opposed to simpler black and white or monochrome printing). Any natural scene or color photograph can be optically and physiologically dissected into three ...

, which allowed the creation of and distribution of the style to a vast audience in Europe, the United States and beyond. Art was no longer confined to art galleries, but could be seen on walls and illustrated magazines. The Art Nouveau posters and illustrations almost always feature women, representing glamor, beauty and modernity. Images of men are extremely rare. Posters and illustrations are highly stylized. approaching two dimensions, and frequently are filled with flowers and other vegetal decoration. The major artists who created work in this domain included

Aubrey Beardsley Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (21 August 187216 March 1898) was an English illustrator and author. His black ink drawings were influenced by Woodblock printing in Japan, Japanese woodcuts, and depicted the grotesque, the decadent, and the erotic. He ...

in Britain, The Czech

Alphonse Mucha Alfons Maria Mucha (; 24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939), known internationally as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech painter, illustrator and graphic artist, living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period, best known for his distinctly stylized and decorat ...

and

Eugène Grasset Eugène Samuel Grasset (25 May 1845 – 23 October 1917) was a Swiss decorative artist who worked in Paris, France in a variety of creative design fields during the Belle Époque. He is considered a pioneer in Art Nouveau design. Biography G ...

Jules Chéret Jules Chéret (31 May 1836 – 23 September 1932) was a French painter and lithographer who became a master of ''Belle Époque'' poster art. He has been called the father of the modern poster. Early life and career Born in Paris to a poor but ...

Georges de Feure Georges de Feure (real name Georges Joseph van Sluijters, 6 September 1868 – 26 November 1943) was a French painter, theatrical designer, and industrial art designer in the symbolism and Art Nouveau styles. De Feure was born in Paris. His f ...

and the painter

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Comte Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901) was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist and illustrator whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of Paris in the ...

in France,

Koloman Moser Koloman Moser (; 30 March 1868 – 18 October 1918) was an Austrian artist who exerted considerable influence on twentieth-century graphic art. He was one of the foremost artists of the Vienna Secession movement and a co-founder of Wiener Werks ...

in Vienna, and Will H. Bradley in the United States. Art Nouveau poster designers, especially in the earlier years, had to work with the early technology of

, which in early versions limited the number of colors they could use. They are also very much influenced by Japanese prints, especially those of

Hiroshige Utagawa Hiroshige (, also ; ja, 歌川広重 ), born Andō Tokutarō (; 1797 – 12 October 1858), was a Japanese ''ukiyo-e'' artist, considered the last great master of that tradition. Hiroshige is best known for his horizontal-format l ...

, with their flat planes and two dimensions, which were being popularized expositions in Paris during this period.

Britain

The first appearance of the curving, sinuous forms that came to be called Art Nouveau is traditionally attributed to

Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo (12 December 1851 – 15 March 1942) was a progressive English architect and designer, who influenced the Arts and Crafts Movement, notably through the Century Guild of Artists, which he set up in partnership wit ...

(1851–1942) in 1883. They were soon adapted by

pre-Raphaelite The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English painters, poets, and art critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, William Michael Rossetti, James ...

painter

Edward Burne-Jones Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August, 183317 June, 1898) was a British painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood which included Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Millais, Ford Madox Brown and Holman Hun ...

and

in the 1890s. They were following the advice of the art historian and critic

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English writer, philosopher, art critic and polymath of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and politi ...

, who urged artists to "go to nature" for their inspiration. In Britain, one of the first leading graphic artists in what became Art Nouveau style was

(1872–1898). He began with engraved book illustrations for ''

Le Morte d'Arthur ' (originally written as '; inaccurate Middle French for "The Death of Arthur") is a 15th-century Middle English prose reworking by Sir Thomas Malory of tales about the legendary King Arthur, Guinevere, Lancelot, Merlin and the Knights of the Rou ...

'', then black and white illustrations for '' Salome'' by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

(1893), which brought him fame. In the same year, he began engraving illustrations and posters for the art magazine ''The Studio'', which helped publicize European artists such as

Fernand Khnopff Fernand Edmond Jean Marie Khnopff (12 September 1858 – 12 November 1921) was a Belgian symbolist painter. Life Youth and training Fernand Khnopff was born to a wealthy family that was part of the high bourgeoisie for generations. Khnopf ...

in Britain. The curving lines and intricate floral patterns attracted as much attention as the text. File:William Morris design for Trellis wallpaper 1862.jpg, Design for trellis wallpaper by

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was a British textile designer, poet, artist, novelist, architectural conservationist, printer, translator and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts Movement. He ...

(1862) File:Rubaiyat Morris Burne-Jones Manuscript.jpg, A page of the '' Rubaiyat of Omar Khayam'' print and floral design by

and painting by

File:MackmurdoWren1883.gif, Bookcover of

Arthur Mackmurdo Arthur Heygate Mackmurdo (12 December 1851 – 15 March 1942) was a progressive England, English architect and designer, who influenced the Arts and Crafts Movement, notably through the Century Guild, Century Guild of Artists, which he set ...

, ''Wren's City Churches'', 1883 Beardsley-peacockskirt.PNG, '' The Peacock Skirt'', by

, (1892) Thestudiomagazinefirstcover.jpg, First issue of '' The Studio'', with cover by Aubrey Beardsley (1893)

France

The artist-designer

(1835–1932) was a notable early creator of French Art Nouveau posters. He helped turn the advertising poster into an art form. The son a family of artisans, he apprenticed with a lithographer and also studied at the

École nationale supérieure des arts décoratifs The École nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ÉnsAD, also known as Arts Decos', École des Arts Décoratifs) is a public grande école of art and design of PSL Research University. The school is located in the Rue d'Ulm in Paris. Profi ...

. Finding little work in Paris, he went to London, and designed furniture for a time, but then returned to Paris and had a great success in 1858 with a poster for ''

Orpheus in the Underworld ''Orpheus in the Underworld'' and ''Orpheus in Hell'' are English names for (), a comic opera with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Hector Crémieux and Ludovic Halévy. It was first performed as a two-act " opéra bouffon" at the Thé� ...

'' by

Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera '' ...

. He still struggled, and returned to London to design brochures. His breakthrough came in 1866 when a French perfume and toiletries maker, Eugene Rimmel, commissioned him to make advertising posters for his products. Rimmel funded Chéret to open the first color lithography shop in Paris. He experimented with different techniques and materials, first working in two colors, then 1869 advancing to three colors, black, red and combination color. He produced a wide variety of very popular posters, depicting idealized contemporary women, in posters for cosmetics and then for theater performances and ice skating rinks, including a famous poster for the Palais de Glace ice-skating rink in Paris (1896). Divan Japonais LACMA 59.80.19.jpg, '' Divan Japonais'' lithograph by

(1892–93) Cheret, Jules - La Loie Fuller (pl 73).jpg, Poster for the dancer

Loie Fuller Loie Fuller (born Marie Louise Fuller; January 15, 1862 – January 1, 1928), also known as Louie Fuller and Loïe Fuller, was an American actress and dancer who was a pioneer of both modern dance and theatrical lighting techniques. Career Born ...

(1893) Folies Bergère, Fleur de Lotus, 1893, by Jules Chéret.jpg, Folies Bergère, Fleur de Lotus, by

(1893) Eugene Grasset, poster for Grafton Galleries, 1893.jpg, Poster for Grafton Galleries by

(1893) File:PP D079 poster by grasset for l'encre marquet.jpg, Poster by Eugène Grasset for Marquet Ink (1894) The Swiss-French artist

(1845–1917) was another early creator of French Art Nouveau posters. He moved to Paris in 1871 and began designing ceramics, jewelry, furniture and tapestries. He gradually moved toward the graphic arts, and did an exceptional series of book illustrations and advertising posters. He helped decorate the famous cabaret

Le Chat noir Le Chat Noir (; French for "The Black Cat") was a nineteenth-century entertainment establishment, in the bohemian Montmartre district of Paris. It was opened on 18 November 1881 at 84 Boulevard de Rochechouart by the impresario Rodolphe Salis, ...

in 1885 and made his first posters for the ''Fêtes de Paris''. He made a celebrated poster of

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including '' La Dame Aux Camel ...

in 1890, and a wide variety of book illustrations.

(1864–1901) was also a major figure in the early style. He began working together with two of the Les Nabis painters,

Pierre Bonnard Pierre Bonnard (; 3 October 186723 January 1947) was a French painter, illustrator and printmaker, known especially for the stylized decorative qualities of his paintings and his bold use of color. A founding member of the Post-Impressionist ...

and

Édouard Vuillard Jean-Édouard Vuillard (; 11 November 186821 June 1940) was a French painter, decorative artist and printmaker. From 1891 through 1900, he was a prominent member of the Nabis, making paintings which assembled areas of pure color, and interior s ...

, who turned him toward illustration. His Art Nouveau career was brief; he died at the age of 36 in 1901.

(1860–1939), born in

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The me ...

in what is now the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, trained as a painter in Munich for two years and then moved to Paris in 1887, where he struggled to survive. His moment came in December 1894, when he was asked, on very short notice, to create a poster for a new play, '' Gismonda'', starring

. His poster, a full-length portrait of Bernardt in costume against a background of Byzantine mosaic and sinuous lettering, became an immediate classic of Art Nouveau. Bernhardt signed him to a five-year contract, and, with each successive play and poster, his fame increased. Bernardt herself set aside a number of each new poster to sell them to collectors. Mucha was asked to produce posters for a variety of clients, from travel resorts to winemakers. The female figure were always highly stylized, and embellished with floral decoration and curling

whiplash Whiplash may refer to: * The long flexible part of a whip * Whiplash (medicine), a neck injury ** Whiplash Injury Protection System (WHIPS), in automobiles Film and television * ''Whiplash'' (1948 film), a US film noir about a boxer * ''Whiplas ...

lines or The backgrounds were two-dimensional, filled with ornament but no depth. Mucha himself rejected the term ''Art Nouveau'' for his work, saying that "art cannot be new". He moved to Prague in 1910 to pursue more serious historical painting, a cycle of large-scale works called The Slav Epic. Alphonse Mucha Alfons Maria Mucha (; 24 July 1860 – 14 July 1939), known internationally as Alphonse Mucha, was a Czech painter, illustrator and graphic artist, living in Paris during the Art Nouveau period, best known for his distinctly stylized and decorat ...

Britain

France

Belgium

Munich Secession and Jugendstil

Vienna Secession

United States

Notes and citations

Bibliography