Pan - Les Maitres de l'Affiche Pl. 67

 

Josef Sattler

 

1897  

color lithograph, printed offset 

10 7/8 x 7 7/8" image size 

artist's monogram in lower left 

not stated 

typeset beneath image: "Kunst - Anstalt v Albert Frisch, Berlin W. 

Roger Marx, pl. 67 

heavy, slick wove 

published 

Jules Cheret 

21731 

$200.00 

From the famous Maitres de l'Affiche portfolio of the Belle Epoch era, this image of the mythical Pan peeking out from behind foliage, an unfurling blossom's filament springing forth the eponymous word, is one of the best known images of its time. Art Nouveau, all the rage in Europe and the U.S. by the 1890s, was at the heart of La Belle Epoch, and borrowed its aesthetic from the natural world. Pan, in essence, represented Nature itelf. La Belle Epoch, with its gleeful abandonment of the stays of the Victorian era, had taken hold of the social and commercial heart of France and beyond. Color and line was loose and bold, and everything from alcohol labels to theater sets featured the new style. To herald the wave, the very streets of metropolitan areas became a reflection of this movement with oversized, bold lithographic posters designed by leading artists. Printer Jules Cheret saw an opportunity at this time and expanded his printing business to include Imprimerie Chaix, a publishing firm that reproduced the best commercial images of the time into smaller, collectible versions, available by subscription. From 1895 until 1900, over 90 artists were featured. This included Josef Sattler, who created the image for the German arts and literary magazine Pan in 1895.