Theophile Steinlen

description

A French artist of Swiss origin, a painter, illustrator, engraver and sculptor.

Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen studied at the university of his native city to be an industrial designer. At the beginning of his creative career, the artist depicted landscapes, paintings from everyday life and portraits in a traditional manner.

A prominent representative of Art Nouveau, Steinlen is known as a poster artist, his posters for the cabaret “Black Cat” in Montmartre made the artist famous and popular among his contemporaries. Steinlen also created illustrations for popular newspapers, magazines and books. He collaborated with several humorous magazines; in 1911, together with friends, founded the newspaper “Humorists”, where he published his caricatures and scenes from the life of Paris. The popularity and recognition enjoyed by the artist made him a significant figure in the fine art of the early twentieth century. His graphic works inspired many avant-garde masters, including famous Pablo Picasso.

Key ideas:

– Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen is known as an author of numerous advertising posters, illustrations and posters in an inimitable individual style. At the beginning of his creative career, the artist painted landscapes, depicting everyday life and portraits in a traditional, realistic manner. Since moving to Paris, Steinlen began to give preference to graphic works, creating illustrations for the works of his contemporaries and collaborating with several popular periodicals. In Montmartre, where the artist settled, he got many acquaintances in the artistic circles and began to take an active part in the cultural life of the capital.

– The artist’s famous theme was scenes from the life of Montmartre and its environs, sometimes funny and amusing, and often filled with caustic satire, ridiculing the vices of society. These paintings fully reflected the revolutionary mood of the contemporary society at the turn of the century.

– Steinlen’s second favorite theme was cats. They are present in most of his works. Almost no advertising poster created by the artist is without these sweet and sometimes mystical creatures. Among master’s works, there are separate paintings, lithographs and sculptures devoted to cats and expressing the character of these animals.

– The paintings of Steinlen, like sculpture, are less famous, although, deserve attention due to their themes. Those are the events of the First World War, in particular, the tragedy in Serbia and Belgium.
– The artist became famous thanks to the cabaret posters «Black Cat», in which he fully showed his artistic and designing talent. Gradually, Steinlen became a popular master. He received many orders for the creation of advertising posters, performed them in a catchy memorable manner, consistent with the spirit of those times. The elegant lines of the painting, the original composition and the wonderful sense of harmony became an example of Art Nouveau of the end of the 19th and the first quarter of the 20th centuries.

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1859

1878

1885

1886

1893

1905

1914 - 1918

1920 - 1923

1923

The birth of the artist

He was born on November 10, 1859 in Lausanne, Switzerland.

He went to Paris

He went to Paris, earnt a living as a draftsman. A few years later, he moved to the art region Montmartre, where he met and became friends with such famous people as Toulouse-Lautrec, F. Vallotton, E. Zola, and became a regular visitor of the cabaret “Black Cat”.

«The Black Cat»

Drew the first of his famous posters for the cabaret «The Black Cat». Thanks to the friendly relations with the owner of the cabaret, poet and chansonnier A. Bruan, he created a large number of advertising posters and posters for this institution, as well as for the book of songs of Bruan.

Began to illustrate Bruan's magazine «Mirliton»

Began to illustrate Bruan’s magazine «Mirliton», and later published his graphic works in a number of other publications. The artist’s illustrations were often of a political and satirical nature. Many of them were published under a pseudonym to avoid problems due to sharp criticism of social ills.

Exhibited his works at the Salon of Independent for the first time

Exhibited his works at the Salon of Independent for the first time; after that, regularly participated in the exhibitions of the Salon of Humorists. Gradually, the artist became more and more popular in Paris; by the middle of the 1890s, he became a recognized master of the advertising poster. During this period, the individual style of the master was finally formed. He received many orders from various companies, for which he created bright advertisements of chocolate, pasteurized milk, bicycles and much more.

Joined the political group «The society of the friends of the Russian people»

Joined the political group «The society of the friends of the Russian people» headed by Anatole France. The artist was an active politician. He participated in a labor movement and regularly created illustrations and posters condemning poverty, exploitation and violence. Later the artist together with his friends founded the newspaper «Humorists», where he published caricatures of a social orientation.

«The East Railway Station"

During the First World War, he painted numerous posters of patriotic content. The graphics of the artist was devoted to the events in Serbia and Belgium. His most famous work is «The East Railway Station”, soldiers bidding farewell to their loved ones before being sent to the front are depicted.

He created an expressive portrait of Anatole France

In the postwar years, he cooperated with the Communists, published his articles in the French Communist newspaper “L’Humanite”. He created an expressive portrait of Anatole France.