Saturday, June 15, 2013

Vintage Art Nouveau La Trappestine Poster

Art Nouveau Artist Alfonse Mucha's La Trappistine

Famous art nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha created this beautiful art nouveau poster, showing a monkified art nouveau woman called "La Trappisine (as in female Trappist Monk). Created in 1897 as an advertisement poster for a Paris distillery, this striking art nouveau poster has stood the test of time, and is still as gorgeous today as it was back in the late 1800s.

Alphonse Mucha's posters were all about swirling lines, beautiful women, and natural elements. Alphonse Mucha practically defined the Art Nouveau movement in the late 1800s. La Trappestine is a lovely example of the style - showcasing a graceful young woman, standing looking out at us, against a background of a halo and circles. A decorative halo is a background that Mucha used often in other paintings and posters. Mucha was a Czech painter, and was defined by his wonderful flowing, swirling style. He was thankfully prolific, producing a huge body of work including art nouveau paintings, illustrations, advertisements, postcards, and decorative designs.

I have always loved Mucha's style, way before I even knew about him or connected the dots as to this single artist - a force of nature - that others tried to emulate as the Art Nouveau style became the definitive "look" of the turn of the last century.

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