Origins of good design and illustration from Lautrec and Hohlwein

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The most outstanding poster designer and illustrator in the early days of lithography was Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec 1864-1901.

There were others, such as Jules Cheret 1836-1932, and Alfons Mucha 1860-1939. I mention them only because their work has been widely reproduced and flogged by shopping mall poster shops and Internet vendors. I've linked them as an important part of the history of lithography but they were not in the same league as Lautrec, who is a giant and an icon for this period of art history.

Lithography owes its origins to the struggles of an unsuccessful writer, Alois Senefelder 1771-1834, who discovered how to make lithographs in 1796. It was a major accomplishment, the first significant invention in the printing industry since the 15th century. Posters reproduced in color were now possible and bridged the gap between fine art of the galleries and museums and the commercial art of the streets and boulevards.

A Swiss poster of a later period, date and illustrator unknown.

A poster promoting winter travel and sports in St. Moritz, Switzerland, date and illustrator unknown.

Later on, another giant emerged in the person of Ludwig Hohlwein of Munich, Germany, 1874-1949. The link will connect you with examples and comments about his work which were among the first subjects uploaded in this web log.

A poster for travel to Berchtesgarden, Germany, exact date unknown.

A poster promoting travel to Wiesbaden, Germany, exact date unknown.

I don't think anyone could depict exotic women as well as Hohlwein. This ad for chocolate is one of my favorites, exact date unknown.

Comments

[Li-An]

I like their work too. The Chocolate girl is very nice. And I agree they are "fathers" of modern illustration art.