Henri Privat-Livemont posters embraced an emerging aesthetic with its asymmetrical organic forms, sensual flowing lines and whiplash curls. Some critics referred to the swooping lines as noodles of the New Art (Art Nouveau). Nevertheless, those “noodles” survived the test of time. To this day, Privat-Livemont posters rank among the finest examples of the Art Nouveau movement.
His posters reflected dramatic social changes in their depiction of the “new woman” of the late 1800s and early 1900s. She was a fashionable and independent person with increasing freedoms in the world outside her home. They also signaled the escape of fine art from museums into everyday life on the streets. The masses could now enjoy art in their daily lives. Those who tore posters from walls could “own” a piece of art for their home.
Many famous artists made their careers through Art Nouveau posters including Alphonse Mucha, Jules Chéret, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Aubrey Beardsley. The Henri Privat-Livemont posters in this post stand among those greats.
Following are a few “Whiplash Noodles” to discuss at your next gathering.
In The Beginning…
For Henri Privat-Livemont posters were not his first plan.
Privat-Livemont (1861-1936) was born in Schaerbeek, Brussels. Initially he studied at Ecole des Arts Decoratives in Belgium. He then moved to Paris where he trained at the studios of Lemaire, Lavastre & Duvignaud from 1883-1889. He made a mark for his innovative interior designs including theaters and casinos.
According to Christopher-Clarke Fine Art, along with Lemaire, Privat-Livemont created décor for the Comédie Française and the Hotel de Ville, Paris among others.
He then returned home and there on a whim he “entered a contest for a poster for the local art appreciation society. To his own surprise, he won.”
His career pivoted after he won the poster competition for the Cercle Artistique de Schaerbeek in 1889. That victory kindled his career as an Art Nouveau poster artist.
“… before long, he had his own studio in Brussels. Eventually, he abandoned the field to devote himself to painting in oils; but for the few years that he stayed with posters, he produced a number of designs of pristine beauty.” (Christopher-Clarke Fine Art)
Two Privat-Livemont posters are now regarded among the finest examples of the Art Nouveau period. In 1896 he produced Absinthe Robette. Then in 1897 came the equally famous poster for the Brussels International Exposition.
Privat-Livemont also made his name in book illustrations, stained glass designs, and decorative panels.
In 1900 he famously incorporated sgraffito, a decorative technique in which colored glaze is scratched away to reveal a contrasting color beneath. While it is most commonly used in ceramics, he applied it on building facades and interiors.
He was known for painting several grand ceilings in public spaces including theaters, and Ostend casino. He won numerous awards for his collaborations with a number of famed architects.
Art Nouveau Posters Reflected Social Changes
Art Nouveau (New Art) emerged as a dynamic style in visual arts from the early 1890s to the First World War. With its inspiration from the natural world, its is known for asymmetrical organic shapes, swooping lines, tendrils, and swirling lines, and eccentric geometry.
Privat-Livemont posters and those of his great Art Nouveau contemporaries merged the academic notion of fine arts with the emerging applied arts. With their appearance on the streets, the line between aesthetic appreciation and practical functionality blurred.
Extraordinary designs were used to advertise everything from newspapers and magazines to theatrical revues, bicycles, champagnes and other products.
The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) writes:
“With the advent of new industrial printing technology, these commercial artworks were rapidly mass-produced and disseminated throughout cities, turning average urban streets into colorful landscapes…”(VMFA)
Advertising posters became so popular that people often pulled them off walls for their home collections. They became the art of the people–the Belle Epoque answer to Instagram or Pinterest. They celebrated art for the masses rather than fine art hoarded by wealthy collectors.
While the emergence of Posters gave art to the masses, it also gave artists opportunities “…to disseminate their work to far-reaching audiences and build large followings that included art collectors.” (VMFA)
Women Were Also On the Move
In many of the Privat-Livemont posters the iconic female model is Madeleine Brown, his inspiration who was also his wife. He considered her to be the embodiment of the Art Nouveau woman.
Many of the vibrantly colorful designs of the Art Nouveau poster artists featured beautiful, boldly sensual women, standing at the dawn of female emancipation. Through their portrayal, artists captured the optimistic attitude of late-1800s to turn-of-the-century Paris. Their work reflected emerging female “freedoms” in the rapidly changing society of Paris as well as the rest of Europe and America.
The women depicted were self-assured, adventurous, athletic and happy. They could dress scantily, dance wildly, smoke and drink publicly, and generally have a good time without judgment. These positive, liberated images of women fueled the emerging role of women as free beings who could behave as they pleased.
Jules Chéret Published Many Art Nouveau Poster Artists
Jules Cheret was among the most successful Art Nouveau poster artists. Among his many subjects were famous women including Leona Dare and La Loie Fuller who performed at venues like Moulin Rouge and Folies Berger. The female subjects of his posters who enjoyed financial independence thanks to this atmosphere of freedom became known as the Chérettes. (Jules Chéret Chérettes)
In 1886 Jules Chéret published the first book on poster art. In 1895 he created the Masters of the Poster (Maîtres de l’Affiche.) This was a collection of reproductions from 97 Parisian artists, printed through his company. The prints were sold in packages of four each month to subscribers.
Among the pieces, Cheret included the Privat Livemont poster for Absinthe Robette, issued as plate 104 (of 256) in the series Le Maîtres de l’Affiche.
Henri Privat-Livemont painted several murals in public buildings between 1900 and 1921. Solo exhibitions of his work were mounted in 1904 and 1906.
Tiffany Studios Led American Art Nouveau
The Art Nouveau movement in America blossomed with the work from Louis Comfort Tiffany’s studios. Sensual organic designs graced everything in decorative arts from windows to lampshades and pottery. The studios were so influential in popularizing Art Nouveau in America, the movement was sometimes called the Tiffany style.
One of Tiffany’s lead stained glass artists was Clara Driscoll. It was the late 1800s, when women still fought for the right to vote and to wear pants. Nevertheless, Driscoll parlayed her passion for Art Nouveau into a stellar career at the famed Tiffany Studios. She lead the team of “Tiffany Girls” who were the creative force behind many of the company’s greatest works.
Although Driscoll achieved some accolades in her time, she was largely forgotten until early 2006.
Read more HERE.
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