George Auriol, born Jean-Georges Huyot (26 April 1863,
Beauvais (
Oise
Oise ( ; ; pcd, Oése) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,41 ...
) – February 1938, Paris), was a French poet, songwriter,
graphic designer,
type designer
Type design is the art and process of designing typefaces. This involves drawing each letterform using a consistent style. The basic concepts and design variables are described below.
A typeface differs from other modes of graphic production su ...
, and
Art Nouveau artist. He worked in many media and created illustrations for the covers of magazines, books, and sheet music, as well as other types of work such as monograms and trademarks.
Biography
After he arrived in Paris in 1883, Auriol was introduced to typography and book design by
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 ...
and became particularly interested in the revival of historical type styles. Appointed by
Georges Peignot
Georges Louis Jean Baptiste Peignot (June 24, 1872 – September 28, 1915) was a French type designer, type founder, and manager of the G. Peignot & Fils foundry until his death in combat during World War I. Father of four children (includi ...
, he created his signature typeface
Auriol inspired by the Art Nouveau movement for the
G. Peignot & Fils foundry, which was used in the work of
Francis Thibaudeau
Francis Thibaudeau (1860, Cholet, France – 1925, Paris) is a French typographer and creator of the first well-established system for classifying typefaces, the Thibaudeau classification. He devised his system while developing the catalogues ...
and other publishers of the period. Auriol was a member of French bohemian culture, a denizen of the Chat Noir ("Black Cat Café") and long a friend of
Erik Satie.
Auriol illustrated
playbills for
André Antoine
André Antoine (31 January 185823 October 1943) was a French actor, theatre manager, film director, author, and critic who is considered the father of modern mise en scène in France.
Biography
André Antoine was a clerk at the Paris Gas Utilit ...
's
Théâtre Libre The Théâtre Libre (French for "Free Theatre") was a theatre company that operated from 1887 to 1896 in Paris, France.
Origins and History
Théâtre Libre was founded on 30 March 1887 by André Antoine. The primary goal of the theatre was ...
and for the
Théâtre du Chat Noir in the
Montmartre
Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...
district of Paris, one of which became a popular poster.
Typefaces
All fonts cast by
G. Peignot & Fils.
Works by George Auriol
*''The Harpsichord of Yeddo.'' Prose poem. Appears in English in ''Specimens of the Forms of Discourse'', compiled and edited by E.H. Lewis (New York: Henry Holt and Co., 1900), p. 45.
*
Le Premier Livre des cachets, marques, et monogrammes dessinés' (Paris: Librairie Centrale des Beaux-Arts, 1901).
*''Les Trente-six Vues de la Tour Eiffel'', illustrations by Henri Rivière, prologue by Arsène Alexandre (Paris: Imprimerie Eugène Verneau, 1902). George Auriol: typography, layout, & design.
Notes
References
*Fields, Armond and Leroy-Crevecœur, Marie. ''George Auriol''. Layton, Utah: Peregrine Smith Books, 1985. (, )
*Brief mention a
typophile.com
External links
biography, illustration & typography (French)
French artists
19th-century French poets
French male songwriters
French graphic designers
French typographers and type designers
1863 births
1938 deaths
Art Nouveau illustrators
Art Nouveau designers
People from Beauvais
People of Montmartre
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