Chrysanthemums

Despite his short life, Paul Berthon was one of the masters of early poster design and a central figure in the Art Nouveau movement. In this sensual work, a girl reclines languorously amidst large chrysanthemum blooms. Berthon's work is characterized by an autumnal, light brown palette, sinuous outlines and a sensitivity to the natural world. As here, he often favored the motif of woman as femme fatale, a result of his interest in Symbolism, a late-19th-century movement that emphasized the importance of dreams and the imagination (see Redon's Salomé). This print is one of 94 original lithographs that he described as "panneaux decoratifs" or decorative panels.