Two girls at the printing press - Paul Louis Joseph Berthon - 20-1932-131

Paul Berthon (Paul Berthon, 15 March 1872 in Villefranche-sur-Saône – 15 February 1909 in Paris) was a

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

artist who produced primarily

poster A poster is a large sheet that is placed either on a public space to promote something or on a wall as decoration. Typically, posters include both typography, textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or w ...

s and

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, 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 ...

s.Haslam, Malcolm ''Marks & monograms: the decorative arts, 1880-1960'' 1995 p. 169, 345

Biography

Berthon studied as a painter in

Villefranche-sur-Saône Villefranche-sur-Saône (, ; ) is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. It lies 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the river Saône, and is around north of Lyon. The inhabitants of the town are called ''Caladois''. History Villefran ...

before moving to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. He later enrolled at the Ecole Normale d'Enseignement de Dessin and received lessons in painting from

Luc-Olivier Merson Luc-Olivier Merson (21 May 1846 - 13 November 1920) was a French academic painter and illustrator. He was also known for his postage stamp and currency designs. Biography Born Nicolas Luc-Olivier Merson in Paris, France, he grew up in an arti ...

and lessons in decorative arts from

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 ...

. Grasset had a far greater influence on him, and he may be regarded as his pupil.

Work

Berthon's work is in the style of

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

, much like his contemporary

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, he was widely known for his distinctly stylized ...

. His study of the

decorative art ] The decorative arts are arts or crafts whose aim is the design and manufacture of objects that are both Beauty, beautiful and functional. This includes most of the objects for the interiors of buildings, as well as interior design, but typical ...

s influenced his printmaking, print making, influencing the strong lines and natural details that guided his art. The vast majority of Berthon's lithographed posters did not include

advertisements Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of interest to consumers. It is typically us ...

and were meant to stand on their own. File:Paul Berthon - Tisane Gauloise.jpg, Poster for Tisane Gauloise. File:Paul Berthon – Les maîtres de l'affiche.jpg, ''Les maîtres de l'affiche''. File:Sainte-Marie-des-Fleurs par Paul Berthon.jpeg, Sainte-Marie-des-Fleurs. File:L'Ermitage LACMA M.87.294.2.jpg, Poster for the revue ''L'ermitage'', 1897. File:Sarah Bernhardt, Paul Berthon, 1901.jpg,

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 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 by Alexandre Dumas fils, ...

as Mélissinde in La Princesse Lointaine, 1901. File:Paul Berthon – Leçons de violon.jpg, ''Leçons de violon''. File:Salon des Cents Paul Berthon.JPG, Salon des Cents.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berthon, Paul 1872 births 1934 deaths Art Nouveau illustrators French lithographic artists French poster artists

Biography

Work

Further reading

References