I was reminded of this when I began using the Photographers Direct search tool to look for examples of Art Nouveau graphic design. You know how it is when you start using a search engine, and before long I had meandered way off my intended goal, distracted by serendipitous gems that lured me onto further discoveries that in turn suggested other search terms.
Here are a few catches from my unintended trawl which I reluctantly had to throw back.
For a start, I simply adore the character of the black cat in this Art Nouveau poster, advertising an auction of items from the famous Chat Noir cabaret of Fin de Siecle Paris.
It is of course a Steinlen poster, and as I love his cats I just had to search for more. Here's another, advertising pure sterilised milk from the Vingeanne, and again Steinlen has imbued his felines with such forceful character that the poor girl looks rather apprehensive. Anyone who has had a hungry cat stare at you whilst you are eating will know the feeling.
The flat red expanses make me think of the illustrations of Aubrey Beardsley, and my search brings up a resonant image. This is a graphic of Aubrey's for Wagner's opera Tristan und Isolde, and (spoiler alert) it isn't sterilised milk in the cup!
The Wagner connection makes me wonder if there are any German examples of Art Nouveau in the PD collection. I find this poster for a children's magazine which is striking in its simplicity of form and colour, as a poster should be. 'More colourful illustrations of the Wide World' it declares, but is curiously almost monochrome except for those red circles like glowing eyes.
From Germany I explore the Wide World to Russia, and this poster for Georg Borman drinking chocolate catches my eye. You can almost hear the chef whistling as he brings you your drink, all done with just a simple lithographic outline and blocks of colour.
If I think of early twentieth century Russian poster-art though, I think of the powerful propaganda posters of the Revolution. Photographers Direct does not disappoint, and I am struck by this Communist Poster: 'We Shall Win!'.
By now I am straying well beyond my brief for a graphic that is as joyous and frivolous as Art Nouveau. The thing with the Photographers Direct website is that we have added searchable tags to all the images. When you find an image that you like, there is a drop-down list of tags for that image, and when you click on one of them, it takes you to all the other images with the same tag. That is either a useful tool for finding similar images so that you can find the exact one you are looking for, or it is a procrastinator's dream, as you can soon fritter away your time like a kitten chasing sunbeams.
Finally then, something light and happy in the Art Nouveau style I was looking for. And it just so happens that there is a cat in there, as well as a glass of Dubonnet. Santé!
All images are copyright of the individual image libraries and can be purchased full-sized for publishing or personal use through the Photographers Direct website.
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