ART & ARTISTS: 2016-09-25

Friday, 30 September 2016

Belle Époque - part 6

The Belle Époque (the Beautiful Period) in France is conventionally dated from the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 to the the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It was a period characterised by optimism, regional peace and economic prosperity, and of technological, scientific, and cultural innovation. Whilst showing key works from the Belle Epoque, I am including works from the fall-out of the period almost up to World War II, so as to put these works in context.

Artists in the late 1800s found opportunities to present their work to the masses through advertising art that began to appear as billboards and posters, plastering the streets of Paris. “Affiche Artistique” was the term that the French used to describe a poster that contained artistic expression. The art was so impressive to the public, people began to collect the posters as soon as they went up, which is why they are so scarce today.

Artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Jules Chéret, Théophile-Alexandre Steinlen, and Alfred Choubrac, contributed to the creative body of work that became what some called “a free museum for the masses”. The craze for collecting these examples of modern art was even given the name, "affichomanie", meaning “artistic poster mania”. Collectors today pay hundreds, if not thousands for original prints of these rare posters.

This is part 6 of a 9-part series on art of the Belle Epoque. For more works in the series see parts 1 - 5 also.

JULES CHÉRET ( 1836 - 1932 ) part 2:

See part 5 for earlier works by Jules Chéret.

1892 Saxoléine
poster by Jules Chéret

1892 Théâtre de l'Opera Carnaval
poster by Jules Chéret

1892 Violinist
monochrome poster by Jules Chéret

1893 Saxoléine
poster by Jules Chéret

1893 Alcazar d'Eté, Louise Balthy
poster by Jules Chéret

Louise Balthy

1893 Alcazar d'Été, Lidia
poster by Jules Chéret

Lidia

1893 Folies-Bergère, Emilienne d'Alençon
poster by Jules Chéret

Emilienne d'Alencon

1893 Folies-Bergère, Fleur de Lotus
poster by Jules Chéret

1893 Folies-Bergère, La Loïe Fuller
poster by Jules Chéret

1893 L'Auréole du Midi 1896 Théâtre de l'Opera
poster by Jules Chéret

1893 Olympia
poster by Jules Chéret

1893 Pastilles Géraudel
poster by Jules Chéret

1894 Eldorado Music Hall
poster by Jules Chéret

1894 Redoute des Etudiants
stage 1 poster by Jules Chéret

1894 Redoute des Etudiants
stage 2 poster by Jules Chéret

1894 Théâtre de L'Opera, Carnaval
poster by Jules Chéret

1894 Vin Mariani
poster by Jules Chéret

1895 Punch Grassot
stage 1 poster by Jules Chéret

1895 Punch Grassot
stage 2 poster by Jules Chéret

1895 Quinquina Dubonnet Apéritif
stage 1 poster by Jules Chéret

1895 Quinquina Dubonnet Apéritif
stage 2 poster by Jules Chéret

1895 Quinquina Dubonnet Apéritif
stage 1 poster by Jules Chéret

1895 Quinquina Dubonnet Apéritif
stage 2 poster by Jules Chéret

1896 Bal au Moulin Rouge
poster by Jules Chéret

1896 Concert Été
poster by Jules Chéret

1896 Palais de Glace, Champs-Elysées
poster by Jules Chéret

1896 Pastilles Géraudel
poster by Jules Chéret

1896 Pastilles Poncelet
poster by Jules Chéret

1896 Quinquina Dubonnet
poster by Jules Chéret

1896 Saxoléine
poster by Jules Chéret

1896 Théâtre de l'Opera
poster by Jules Chéret

1897 Folies-Bergère, La Danse du Feu
poster by Jules Chéret

1897 Folies-Bergère, Loïe Fuller
poster by Jules Chéret

1897 Parfumerie-Distillerie Iris Villa
poster by Jules Chéret

1898 Palais de Glace, Champs-Elysées
poster by Jules Chéret

1898 Pantomimes Lumineuses
poster by Jules Chéret

1899 Jardin de Paris
poster by Jules Chéret

1899 Pippermint
poster by Jules Chéret

1899 Taverne Olympia
poster by Jules Chéret

1900 Musée Grévin Théâtre
poster by Jules Chéret

1900 Palais de Glace, Champs-Elysées
poster by Jules Chéret

1900 The Spinner (decorative panel)
by Jules Chéret

1904 Arlette Dorgère
stage 1 poster by Jules Chéret

1904 Arlette Dorgère
stage 2 poster by Jules Chéret

Arlette Dorgère

1906 Au Printemps
poster by Jules Chéret