Henri Bellery-Desfontaines
Encyclopedia
Henri Bellery-Desfontaines (20 March 1867, Paris – 7 October 1909, Paris) was a French
Art Nouveau
painter
, decorator and illustrator
renowned for his poster
s, lithographs, tapestries, furniture
, bank note designs, typography
, and other works of decorative arts.
(1846–1920). During his years as a student, he began to illustrate magazines. In 1895, drawn to illustration, probably due to financial problems, and he started to produce work for publications such as L'Image, L'Estampe Moderne
, and L'Almanach des Bibliophiles. In the same year, the Salon des Artistes Français hosted one of his tapestry
designs.
In the 1900s, Paris
was the perfect place for a group of young artists influenced by artistic currents like neogothic style or symbolism. Most of them began as painters, switching later to decorative arts attracted by the ideas of ever-present art and total art. Henri Bellery-Desfontaines was a member of this group. He started as a painter in atelier of Pierre-Victor Galland
, who entrusted him with the decorative motifs that would frame drawings of the Panthéon de Paris. Maillot
, Bonnat
, Humbert and notably Jean-Paul Laurens
convinced him to join the atelier at the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, and with him, decorated the Hôtel de Ville de Paris.
Bellery-Desfontaines gradually achieved notoriety as an ambitious decorative artist, designing tapestries and furniture adorned with ornate floral and vegetal motifs for wealthy patrons. He made numerous commercial illustrations, created the joker for the playing cards company Fossorier Amar et Cie., and typography for Fonderie G. Peignot et Fils, including the typefaces Bellery-Desfontaines-large and Bellery-Desfontaines-étroit. He also was an important fine artist and printmaker of his epoch, painting portraits of Yvette Guilbert
and Jean Mounet-Sully
, and participating in numerous events such as the Bal des Quat'z'Arts and Bal de l'Internat.
Bellery-Desfontaines died young, at age 42, leaving a vast production of unfinished artistic works.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, decorator and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
renowned for his poster
Poster
A poster is any piece of printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and informative. Posters may be...
s, lithographs, tapestries, furniture
Furniture
Furniture is the mass noun for the movable objects intended to support various human activities such as seating and sleeping in beds, to hold objects at a convenient height for work using horizontal surfaces above the ground, or to store things...
, bank note designs, typography
Typography
Typography is the art and technique of arranging type in order to make language visible. The arrangement of type involves the selection of typefaces, point size, line length, leading , adjusting the spaces between groups of letters and adjusting the space between pairs of letters...
, and other works of decorative arts.
Career
Henri Bellery-Desfontaines is thought to have began his artistic training under the tutelage of Luc-Olivier MersonLuc-Olivier Merson
Luc-Olivier Merson was a French academic painter and illustrator also known for his postage stamp and currency designs....
(1846–1920). During his years as a student, he began to illustrate magazines. In 1895, drawn to illustration, probably due to financial problems, and he started to produce work for publications such as L'Image, L'Estampe Moderne
L'Estampe Moderne
L'Estampe Moderne appeared in 1897-99 as a series of 24 monthly fascicles, each of 4 original lithographs, priced at 3 francs 50 centimes and printed by Imprimerie Champenois of Paris. Many accomplished European Art Nouveau painters contributed works to this publication...
, and L'Almanach des Bibliophiles. In the same year, the Salon des Artistes Français hosted one of his tapestry
Tapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven on a vertical loom, however it can also be woven on a floor loom as well. It is composed of two sets of interlaced threads, those running parallel to the length and those parallel to the width ; the warp threads are set up under tension on a...
designs.
In the 1900s, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
was the perfect place for a group of young artists influenced by artistic currents like neogothic style or symbolism. Most of them began as painters, switching later to decorative arts attracted by the ideas of ever-present art and total art. Henri Bellery-Desfontaines was a member of this group. He started as a painter in atelier of Pierre-Victor Galland
Pierre-Victor Galland
Pierre-Victor Galland was a French decorative painter.Until the age of 16, Galland studied metalwork with his father, Jacques Galland, a goldsmith. He then joined the studio of Henri Labrouste, studying architecture...
, who entrusted him with the decorative motifs that would frame drawings of the Panthéon de Paris. Maillot
Maillot
The maillot is the fashion designer's name for a woman's one-piece swimsuit, also called a tank suit. A maillot swimsuit generally consists of a tank-style torso top with high-cut legs...
, Bonnat
Léon Bonnat
Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat was a French painter.He was born in Bayonne, but from 1846 to 1853 he lived in Madrid, where his father owned a bookshop. While tending his father's shop, he copied engravings of works by the Old Masters, developing a passion for drawing...
, Humbert and notably Jean-Paul Laurens
Jean-Paul Laurens
Jean-Paul Laurens , was a French painter and sculptor, and one of the last major exponents of the French Academic style.Born in Fourquevaux, he was a pupil of Léon Cogniet and Alexandre Bida...
convinced him to join the atelier at the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, and with him, decorated the Hôtel de Ville de Paris.
Bellery-Desfontaines gradually achieved notoriety as an ambitious decorative artist, designing tapestries and furniture adorned with ornate floral and vegetal motifs for wealthy patrons. He made numerous commercial illustrations, created the joker for the playing cards company Fossorier Amar et Cie., and typography for Fonderie G. Peignot et Fils, including the typefaces Bellery-Desfontaines-large and Bellery-Desfontaines-étroit. He also was an important fine artist and printmaker of his epoch, painting portraits of Yvette Guilbert
Yvette Guilbert
Yvette Guilbert was a French cabaret singer and actress of the Belle Époque.-Biography:...
and Jean Mounet-Sully
Jean Mounet-Sully
Mounet-Sully , a French actor, was born at Bergerac. His birth name was Jean-Sully Mounet: "Mounet-Sully" was a stage name....
, and participating in numerous events such as the Bal des Quat'z'Arts and Bal de l'Internat.
Bellery-Desfontaines died young, at age 42, leaving a vast production of unfinished artistic works.
External links
- Bellerydesfontaines.com, official site with biography, photos, and works
- Typography examples