Jules Cheret

Jules Cheret was a prolific artist during the Art Nouveau movement in France during the early 19th century. I wanted to explore his work because I really love the color, movement, and whimsy of his pieces. I also was interested in learning about his life and influencing experiences because his work is so decorative. This entire era is intriguing to me in regards to graphic design because it is so far from what we do today. However, I also enjoy this work a lot because it is so illustrative and captivating.

Alex Riggio

I found this great website that has everything you would want to know about Cheret, his life, and his work. On the home page of the site, you will find this blurb about the beginnings of his life work. Jules Cheret was born in Paris on May 31, 1836 in to a family of artisans. Since the family had little money, Jules Cheret’s formal education ended when at the age of 13, his family could no longer afford to keep him in school. His father, a typographer, placed Cheret in a three year apprenticeship with a lithographer.

http://www.cheret.info/
"French lithographer, poster designer and painter, Cheret’s formal training in art was limited to a course at the Ecole Nationale de Dessin, Paris, as a pupil of Horace Lecoq de Boisbaudran.

Although he was able to sell sketches to various music publishers in Paris, this did not satisfy Cheret. He left Paris for London in hopes of finding a more lucrative way to afford his career as an artist. After a short period of time executing drawings for The Maple Furniture Company, a frustrated Cheret, returned to Paris with no more money than when he began his journey. This did not deter him and his continued perseverance led him to his first commission to create a poster. This would later reveal him to be The Master of the Poster."

I perused through the site some more, and one of the most interesting things I read was about his influences with color and how he began a "color revolution". He also produced many works for the Moulin Rouge and did decorative panels, posters, and paintings that were highly influential in Parisian society during the time.