Episode 65: Poster Art: The Belle Epoque

The Belle Epoque was an era of influence in France and much of the world. We look back at that time now and refer to it as a "Golden Age". There was so much going on in the art world between 1871 and 1914 from Impressionism to Art Nouveau, it was an age of new ideas. In the design world color lithography had just been perfected making mass produced art work possible. Artists like Alphonse Mucha, Toulouse-Latrec, Jules Cheret and Eugene Grasset made a name for themselves creating posters for plays and advertising products. Color lithography brought prices down, and for the first time in forever the average Joe could purchase a piece of art. To this day poster from the Belle Epoque Era is still highly collectible.

Mucha

Mucha

Mucha

Toulouse-Latrec

Jules Cheret

Jules Cheret

Jules Cheret

Grasset

Grasset

Tune in next Wednesday when Jo and Chloe talk about Rembrandt! You can listen to all of our past episodes on iTunes U. The link can be found in the side bar. 

Episode 24: Art Nouveau

To listen to this episode on archive.org click here.

Art Nouveau is a style that was popular between 1890 and 1910 (though it still has great influence on artists today). It came from the British art movement called the Arts and Crafts movement, which praised traditional craftsmanship over mass-produced items of the industrial revolution. 

Tassel House, Belgium by Victor Horta

Gaudi, Barcelona, Spain

Tiffany Lamps

Example of Art Nouveau jewelry

Metro Entrance, Paris

Klimt, The Kiss, 1907-08

Art Nouveau is a highly decorative style and spans across all kinds of mediums including architecture, graphic arts, jewelry, clothing, and home furnishings. Art Nouveau travelled across Europe as a movement, and because of this each country/region has a slightly different take on the style, reflecting their own culture and history in their applications. Wherever you go, though, Art Nouveau tends to be very flowery, decorative, using many curved and organic lines. 

Mucha was Sarah Bernhardt's primary artist

One of the best examples of Art Nouveau, as well as one of the most iconic artists for this artistic movement, is Alphonse Mucha. His work is generally made up of the female figure usually set with a decorative, usually circular, background. His pictures are full of grace and whimsical organic forms, and they continue to influence contemporary artists today.

A'shop, Our Lady of Grace, 2011