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EUGENE GRASSET (1841-1917). [MÉDITATION.] Circa 1897. Lithograph printed on silk. 35x21 inches, 90x54 cm.

EUGENE GRASSET (1841-1917) [MÉDITATION.] Circa 1897. Lithograph printed on silk.
35 1/4x21 1/4 inches, 90x54 cm.
Condition B+: staining and minor discoloration in margins and image.
Capitalizing on the poster craze sweeping through France during the fin-de-siecle, publishers began to issue large-format decorative panels designed by the best poster artists. Grasset's panels began in small format with two plates for L'Estampe Originale. By 1896 he was working on a series of 10 full-size panels (Estampes Decoratives) for his printer Malherbe. In these panels Grasset uses representations of women and nature to express states of mind, or moods. The influence of Japanese prints is clear including the use of flat colors and broad outlining. Unlike Mucha's sensual approach, Grasset's women, in their static poses, exert a fascinating, hypnotizing effect. Meditation is arguably Grasset's best panel, as the image of a woman lost in her thoughts in the silence of nature so perfectly reflects Grasset's style. The series was acclaimed in 1897 at the Libre Esthetique in Brussels and then at the first Secession Exhibition in Vienna. This is the only copy on silk that we know. Arwas p. 71, Murray Robertson p.126.

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December 16, 2009 1:30 PM EST
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