Paul Berthon

Two girls at the printing press.

For the French landscape printer, see Paul Émile Berton.

Paul Berthon (Paul Emile Berthon, 15 March 1872 in Villefranche-sur-Saône – 27 February 1934 in Paris) was a French artist who produced primarily posters and lithographs.

Biography

Berthon studied as a painter in Villefranche-sur-Saône before moving to Paris. He later enrolled at the Ecole Normale d'Enseignement de Dessin and received lessons in painting from Luc-Olivier Merson and lessons in decorative arts from Eugène Grasset. Grasset had a far greater influence on him, and he may be regarded as his pupil.

Work

Berthon's work is in the style of Art Nouveau, much like his contemporary Alphonse Mucha. His study of the decorative arts influenced his print making, influencing the strong lines and natural details that guided his art. The vast majority of Berthon's lithographed posters did not include advertisements and were meant to stand on their own.

• 
  Poster for Tisane Gauloise.
• 
  Les maîtres de l'affiche.
• 
  Sainte-Marie-des-Fleurs.
• 
  Poster for the revue L'ermitage, 1897.
• 
  Sarah Bernhardt as Mélissinde in La Princesse Lointaine, 1901.
• 
  Leçons de violon.
• 
  Salon des Cents.

Further reading

• Les Maîtres de l'Affiche
• Gérald Schurr: Les Petits Maîtres de la peinture 1820–1920 : Les Éditions de l’Amateur, t. IV, : Paris 1979.
• Victor Arwas: Berthon & Grasset : Academy/Denoël: 1978, ISBN 978-0-856-70429-1.