A Decorator's Life: Women in Art

The first to recognize the need for beauty was Elsie De Wolfe (1865-1950). The Victorian Age was in need of her interior design aesthetic which was light, fresh and delicate.  One of the major influences on Elsie's career was her trip to France and the study of the Parisian entertainment life.  Jules Cheret's posters of whimsy that targeted women's fashion and femininity were sure to inspire.  This new form of art that decorated the streets of Paris during the modern 19th century France brought forth the women in advertising as their liberation as individuals began to emerge within the then very gender separate public sphere.  Enjoy these decorative celebrations of the golden ages of posters by chromo-lithography master Jules Cheret and the women who represented them!

Juxtaposed Drinks & Interiors

The St. Germain Cocktail

2 parts Brut Champagne

1 1/2 parts St. Germaine

2 parts Club Soda

Stir ingredients in a tall ice-filled Collins glass, mixing completely. Think of Paris circa 1947. Garnish with a lemon twist, mint, or cucumber. Pair it with the French home interior. 

That's Questionable

A question that sparks curiosities... Were advertisement and entertainment posters of the 19th century considered decorative art?  Were they considered street art and did that mean graffiti which is equivalent to today's graffiti? Since they were a new form of art, what were the overall intentions and public opinions regarding them?  Did they decorate the streets or pollute them?

"The Scam" A book poster

What did it mean being a woman in Paris during the 19th century?  How are the gender roles represented in art and are these representations accurate?  The most interesting illustrations of Parisian life are the lithographic posters of advertisements attributed to Jules Cheret, the father of the poster.  The 'real world' of bourgeois society had a clear distinction between genders and their roles in public and private spaces.  Men had freedom to appear equally in both public and private areas, whereas women were subjected to a domestic and private role.  It is of no surprise then to see women in the spotlight of most of the posters to feed the hunger of the male dominated voyeuristic public eye.

  

So, why do we see an equal number of men and women in this Jules Cheret poster?  Still we need to notice that the prominent figure giving a squeakish smirk is female!  Well, the French would understand from the title that this was an illustration for a book about people living in the fast lane written by Felicien Champsaur titled 'La Gomme' or a scam and le gommeux referring to swells or a cheap dandy... Well the dandies here are in their top hats frolicking around with women attached to their waists (prostitutes?), but who is deceiving who? That fiery redheaded female, tipping her feather hat, so much cleavage she could easily expose herself....but does she want to "expose" herself?  We will never know unless we read the book!!!

The History of the Poster

Where did the poster originate?  How did it survive?  Who were the Fathers of the poster, advertisements, and the art behind it?  What were they advertising? What were the social and political issues during this time?  What was the Belle Epoque?  

All my questions are answered in this creatively illustrated video by Yaneff Designs.

Parisian Pastimes

"Palais de Glace"

The French language sounds so elegant and yet whimsical at the same time.  These 19th century posters can be defined in the same fashion.  Jules Cheret and George Goursat were French artists who captured the Parisian atmosphere of ice skating during the 1900's, a popular pastime attributed to King Louis XVI.  Posters were a way of advertising iceskating venues, such as Champs-Elysee, with fashionable high society women in the spotlight.  Was this a device for merely rendering Parisian leisurely activities, or the dawn of high fashion advertisements?  

(Jules Cheret)

Jules Cheret (1836-1932) was a master of using the lithograph technique in his posters as a way of showing sheer happiness and flighty movement of these women; characteristics that synchronize the vivacity of iceskating. These lively women iceskaters, however, are not only showing off their best sit spins and backwards crossovers, but also doing them dressed to the nines!  The images are a clear illustration of 19th century's exquisite female performing everyday life with grace and beauty; a comparable image to today's fashionista's balletic walk down the high fashion streets of modern day Paris.  

(Georges Goursat)

Georges Goursat (1863-1934) used a technique called pochoir, french for stencil, which is a labor intensive way of using cutouts to apply color by hand during the print making process. Instead of using warm colors like Cheret above to indicate a sense of warmth and happiness, Goursat creates a chilling atmosphere with cool grays and negative space to represent icey-whites.  The joyfulness is still created by the S-curve of the woman skater facing away from the viewer as if she is finishing a swirly spin that we can follow by the carving of the ice below her. I think one of the main objectives of these posters is to entice the public into the spirited life of Parisians, especially during a time of female entertainers of Montmarte cabaret!

Sundays are for...

Relaxing. Being lazy. Drifting. Taking a catnap. Reflecting. Smiling. Going on a Picnic. Daydreaming. Enjoying the scenery. Meditating. Treasuring nature. Lounging. Exhaling. Imagining. Reveling. Soaking up the Sun. Unwinding. Taking a breather. Hanging around. Pondering. Basking. Pausing. Delight. Listening to the breeze. Being idle. Gazing. Releasing. 

Loving Life.

Villa Adriana (Photo by Jenny)

Fullerton Arboretum (Photo by Jenny)

Villa Adriana (Photo by Jenny)

San Diego Wild Animal Park (Photo by Jenny)

San Diego Wild Animal Park (Photo by Jenny)

Tuileries Garden Paris, France (Photo by Jenny)

Amalfi Coast (Photo by Jenny)

Spoleto, Italy (Photo by Jenny)