description

Paul Berthon

Color Lithograph on paper, Paris 1901. Original Art nouveau guilded frame.

Provenance

Private collection Chatou

Literature

Les Maîtres de l'Affiche
Gérald Schurr: Les Petits Maîtres de la peinture 1820–1920 : Les Éditions de l’Amateur, t. IV, : Paris 1979.
Victor Arwas: Berthon & Grasset : Academy/Denoël: 1978, ISBN 978-0-856-70429-1.

Exhibition

collection National Museum, Washington U.S.A.
collection Victoria and Albert Museum, Kensington, United Kingdom.

Detail Description

Sarah Bernhardt as Melisande

Paul Berthon (Paul Emile Berthon, 15 March 1872 in Villefranche-sur-Saône – 15 February 1910 in Paris) was a French artist who produced primarily posters and lithographs. Berthon's work is in the style of Art Nouveau, much like his contemporary Alphonse Mucha. Berthon studied as a painter in Villefranche-sur-Saône before moving to Paris. He later enrolled at the Ecole Normale d'Enseignement de Dessin and received lessons in painting from Luc-Olivier Merson and lessons in decorative arts from Eugène Grasset. Grasset had a far greater influence on him, and he may be regarded as his pupil. His study of the decorative arts influenced his 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 and were meant to stand on their own.