Art Nouveau was the most popular artistic style in graphic arts at the turn of the century. The following two posters are examples of Art Nouveau. One is Naturalistic and the other is an example of Symbolism.

The first poster is entitled Papier Job. It was created by Alphonse Maria Mucha in 1898. Mucha was Czechoslovakian, and is considered one of the greatest students of Art Nouveau. This picture is an ad for cigarette paper and depicts a woman in a pink gown with long flowing hair and a lit cigarette. Throughout the picture the word "Job" is written many times. It appears throughout the background, on the actual book of cigarette papers, and on a pendant on the woman's gown. While the beauty of this poster cannot be adequately expressed through this medium, it is in fact stunning. The color and texture is very pleasing to the eye, and the poster itself is several feet tall. The woman hear is very beautiful and provides a commentary on woman at the time the poster was created (1898). It objectifies this particular woman, while also showing the rising position of woman in society, in that, she can participate in a traditionally male activity, smoking.

The second poster is entitled Pan. It was created by Josef Sattler, a German, in 1895. It is an example of the Art Nouveau branch known as symbolism. It depicts the Greek figure Pan looking over the horizon. In the middle-ground are the traditional work tools: rake shovel and hoe. In the foreground is a papery flower with the word "Pan" and the year "1895" formed by the stamen. Although it is difficult to see, the image of Pan's face is on each papery petal of the flower. Pan, a mischievous character is juxtaposed with the hard working tool images. The flower shows the birth of science that was occurring at the time. New ideas about rationality, mathematics and evolution were all evolving at this time. However, the overlooking Pan image symbolizes the problems that may arise out of these new discoveries.

Pan
Josef Sattler: 1895
 

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