@12:55. "By the time war broke out in 1914 Steinlen at 55 was already considered too old to be slaughtered". A very powerful statement Pete. Thank you.
To put Debussy with the art, so dense, so poignant, what a wonderful idea. I just can't imagine the amount of hard work, your dedication to the artists is a great inspiration. Thank you.
Ned and Janet in Spain here to say thank you once again Pete. We both have loved Steinlen's work for most of our lives. We are also very much a pair of Cat lovers and no one ever drew them better than he. Great to hear about his history and personal passions and political views which made us love and respect him all the more. Stay healthy Pete. Can't wait to see what you'll be doing next.
Totally agree. I amastonished, how much artists I did not know are coming now to my knowledge. I even buy books of some of those because of Pete Beard. Thanks for that. I wonder, how much work this must be, how many investigations and so on.
We have the poster at 11:50 hanging in our kitchen dining room. We look at it every day. So nice to have this story of the artist. Thank you as always.
You have answered a question I have had for some time. My wife made a lovely cross stitch piece of Chat Noir. I always wondered who created the original image. I now know it was Théophile Steinlen.
It is a pleasure to see an artist who lived and worked in an era, that produced so much wonderful art! I always love to see the work of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and it is great to see similar work (on similar subjects) by a contemporary artist! So much alike, and yet so different. So much more to enjoy! Truly loved his pencil drawings...
Thanks, Pete! I was waiting for this video. Two Steinlein's cat posters I purchased in Paris in 2018 are on the wall in my studio. Being a proud owner of a black cat (she probably has different opinion of who owns who), I just love this artist!
Many thanks for your comment and appreciation. I noticed that on some Korean videos about cats (yes I'm not ashamed to admit I watch them) the owners refer to themselves as "butlers". Very apt.
There is a poster by Norman Lindsay which shosw sequence of cat cartoons in a similar manner to Steinlen's; which begs the question: was there anyone else before? Excellent video production again Pete! ps I can imagine Steinlen doing a sequence on cat versus printer if he lived in the UA-cam era.
Thanks for the comment and appreciation. And I had forgotten about Lindsay's cat books. As you say there are some remarkable similarities. And in case you haven't seen my tribute to Lindsay allow me to recommend it. For reasons I'll never understand very few have watched it. If you have, forget I spoke.
@@petebeard I shall have a look at your Lindsay tribute, but I shall have in mind a comment that I read recently about his female nudes not looking entirely female. ps I have visited his house/museum in NSW Australia.
Thanks, Pete. I have to say how much I love Steinlen's work. And who could not have recognised Chat Noir cat. Definitely iconic. I found it interesting looking at the woman in the blue coat as at first I thought it was a drawing using colour pencils or possibly pastels. Either way it is delightful.
Thanks again for your comment. Weidly - or maybe not - I have seen Le Chat Noir credited online to Lautrec quite a few times. And his brush work does resemble pastels in its application.
Thanks a lot for your comment. If the evidence of the internet is to be believed quite a few who do know about that poster seem to think it was by Lautrec...
Yes, Mr. Beard, you have successful conveyed a body of work in a compelling fashion to foster my appreciation and esteem for yet another artist/illustrator that continues to delight fans. Bravo!
Thanks for reviewing this artist's work, I especially loved some of his posters. He had a special talent for drawing cats that the public recognized. Very inspiring, and viewing your channel continues to motivate me to keep up my drawing. Thank-you!
Thanks again for another favourable comment about this new video. And if the series encourages viewers to draw more I think that's a very good thing indeed.
Oh, my. He was quite clever enough when it came to poking the borax at society without incurring the wrath of those who had a passion to prevent others from doing so. I think it was because he seemed to illuminate the innocents that suffer the horrors of war instead of directly having a shot at those at the top. Wonderful upload, Mr. Beard.
Thank you so much, Mr. Beard, for bringing the life and work of Steinlen forward. He has been one of my favorite graphic artists for decades but I knew very little about him. One of my majors in college was art history but this field (graphic art) was never even mentioned. I wish there was a nice chunky book about Steinlen. Many thanks for all your hard work and dedication - I have enjoyed each and every one of your presentations. Best wishes from the Pacific NW.
Many thanks for your appreiation of my work on the channel and this video in particular. To me it's strange and somewhat elitist when art history courses ignore those who created such work, just because it was commercial.
I knew as I saw this video he would be the man behind Chat Noir. It’s such a distinctive style. It’s a great feeling finding out more behind a single poster. The vast output of his work is astonishing. All of it amazing. Thank you for making this video. Subscribed ! 👍👍
Many thanks for your comment and appreciation of Steinlens work. And yet more thanks for your subscription. I hope you find more on the channel that's of interest.
Thanks for the comment. I must admit I tried to do the titling using his style but made such a bad job of it I took the easy way out with an existing font.
I'm always quick to click on your videos, eager to see what new thing you are going to teach me! Like many I've seen the ubiquitous "Chat Noir" many times and was intrigued by the style. Being also a "cat person" I quickly saw that the chocolate ad with the little girl and cat at tea was by the same person, but never knew who the artist was. Most of his earlier work leaves me cold, but I really liked the common people he drew as they are so much more alive than many of his contemporaries, and there is definitely a sympathy that comes out in the scenes of all sorts of folk, that is charming.
Thanks as always for your comment and appreciation. Much is made by some of the symbolism represented by the cats, but I'm more inclined to think he just liked them and enjoyed drawing them.
@@petebeard I agree. There is definitely a difference between his cats, which are lovingly drawn, and Louis Wain's fascinating, if demented, paintings, which I also enjoy very much!
Thankss as always for your comment. And I think it's interesting that frequently it's the illustrators who comment on their society more frequently than artists, who can be a little too self-obsessed.
Thanks for the comment and appreciation. And I've never added up what percentage of these illustrators were self taught, but it seems fairly often that it's the case.
Many thanks for presenting Steinlen, maybe little known outside the Hexagon but very well known in France as you can find easily reproductions and reprints. The art market is pretty active with plenty of original lithos at affordable prices. The cats drawings are in high esteem by all the lovers of this animal, it's an appreciated gift by any cat lover. Théophile Steinlen was beyond socialist, he was anarchist. He supported many social causes and gave hundreds of illustrations mainly to anarchist publications. A little known fact ; a friend presented to him in 1911 a young black model Masseida (1889-1929) born in Ivory Coast at the time a French Colony. Steinlen was widowed, and they lived together until his death. Masseida survived him only six years and died at only 40 years.
Thanks a lot for your appreciation, and for the additional information and insight into his life. And I had known nothing of Masseida otherwise I would have included her in his story.
@@petebeard @petebeard It's normal you had nothing about Masseida simply because there is no source in English. The relationship came truly on surface only recently. Steinlen's daughter Colette died in 1969 and was very discreet. Nobody seems to have noted before how a so called governess was in the Steinlen's will and received a substantial part of the inheritance. I know well her grave as I live in Paris close to the beautiful Père Lachaise graveyard. Impossible to put the link with YT. It's the Goo-g-l-e dictature.
@@petebeard From a page of the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne.Translated from French with Google. Steinlen met Masséida in 1911, through Jean-Louis Forain (the famous illustrator). Originally from the Bambara ethnic group, the young woman is known in artistic circles. She poses for painters, including Félix Vallotton who represents her with her facial scarifications (Negress draped in red, 1911, private collection). After the death of Steinlen's wife, she became his companion and ran his house jointly - and not without conflict - with his daughter Colette. When the artist died, she inherited part of the studio fund. When she died at the age of forty, her estate fueled the art market for a long time, with no fewer than eight public sales from 1930 to 2000. Masséida often posed for Steinlen, who represented her in charcoal studies made from life, and in more ambitious oil compositions. In the first, we see her busy with household chores, in academic poses, or lying naked on a sofa. In the latter, she is at the center of compositions with strong chromaticism, brushed in large dense flat areas, in an expressive and robust style which of course evokes Paul Gauguin, but especially the painters of Montmartre, and in particular Suzanne Valadon. On all occasions, Steinlen accentuates the feline character of his model, emphasizing its flexibility and natural grace.
@@pabloricardodetarragon2649 Thanks again for yet more information. And I hadn't made the connection that the cemetery is home to quite a few famous deceased.
Loved this one Pete, but I was aware of Steinlen via his cat art, but have not seen much of art. I can Toulouse-Lautrec's influence on him, and a touch of Edgar Degas as well.
Thanks a lot for your comment. I think the jury may be out as to who influenced who when it comes to Lautrec. Or it could be that they both had absorbed similar influences and had similar intentions.
You describe theology as an odd choice of subject for Steinlen, but considering that "Théophile" means "love of God", theology seems like a very apposite choice ;) Great work as usual, Pete, you really have a fine knack for presenting your subjects in an engaging and sympathetic light, bravo.
Aha! Well spotted and I missed that. Although if we follow the logic I should have studied geology or similar, given my name. Thanks a lot for the comment.
@@petebeard U Bet! I Love your channel, the video's and your presentation & narration, I enjoy it so much, and learn . Much Thanks!! Cheers,Ruby/KKTVR💐💋🫖☕🍰
11:37 The color choices, the spider webbing, and the mounds of people almost being shoveled into a man-building. This almost seems like a prototype of a Zdzisław Beksiński painting 50 years before Beksiński was even born. I wonder if he ever saw it?
Terrific! I always wondered about the artist who did those cat posters . . . .They share a style with other posters, but have a certain je ne sai quois . . . Anyway -- TY, P.B.!
Thank you, Pete Beard - so interesting - from cats (and dogs) to social issues - it seems to me I've seen his work but didn't know who he was - VERY nice to know the original Le Chat Noir!
Thanks, great job. i really appreciate this one. I now know who is the artist behind one of my favorite art poeces. I have a reproduction of Tournée du Chat Noir in my living room.
I was lucky enough to catch an exhibition in Madrid a few years ago about Fin de Siecle poster artists in Paris (* also what an innovative poster time it was also as far as actual production ; ie: the first actual billboards were created..) Steinlen's 'King of the Alleycats' painting was there (- it was huge! ) as well as other cat paintings which were equally enchanting. I have known him primarily by his cat imagery- I had no idea that he was part of so many publications, nor was I aware that his sympathies were with the working class. Like Kathe Kollwitz (* of whom you also created a video-) he knew the power of the poster..Thank you for your wonderful video and for teaching us that Steinlen was so much more than an artist who drew felines..
Thanks a lot for your comment and insights into Steinlen's work. But regarding Kollwitz I haven't actually made a video about her. I did start one but the research confirmed what I already suspected - that she was far more an artist than an illustrator, which left me with not enough material.
Thanks, Pete, another excellent video. I love Steinlen, and I had a book full of his wonderful cat drawings. Where that disappeared to, I don't know. Some rotter scampered off with it, no doubt.
A fine hand and eye, who even in his most political moments (unlike some more famous artists of the time) never allowed his 'convictions' to get in the way of his art -- or his humanity! But I can't believe that the Psychedelic Psixties (and nobody since, either) never adopted some of his earlier fonts!
I have always admired Steinlein for his color, subject matter (especially cats) and composition. His strict use of geometric presentation of subjects and the startling use of foreground material contrasted with deep background subjects make him almost unique among Belle Epoque artists. Of all poster artists I only admire Jules Cheret more than Steinlein. Another great video presentation.
I don’t know if you’re anywhere near Bath in Uk, but there’s a nice Toulouse Lautrec and other fin de siecle poster artists exhibition on at the moment in the Victoria Art gallery. Very interesting to see many of these posters in person and full size
I wasn't aware that his wife and daughter were the models for those posters. I used to have a large poster of the milk and cats one for quite awhile, though it got more than somewhat sun-bleached near the end! And yet another self-taught illustrator/artist! There seems to have been quite a few of them. Often more impressive than some of the ones churned out by various art schools!
Thanks for another favourable comment. I've never bothered to find out how many of the subjects I've covered were self taught (or mostly so at least) but I'd estimate a good quarter of them.
ONCE Again, dear Monsieur Beard, you have brought Light into darkness. Thank you. P.s. isn't it amazing? While only a few illustrators among the many --- some two dimensional painters venture into the realm of three dimensional sculpting. It seems as though their inner muse: years to leap from the peint brush or pen, and swirl into a cosmic dance that creates an image that bespeaks, "NOT ONLY SEE ME, but touch me, feel me, marvel at me from all sides, and, from above and from below. With Your own fingertips --- feel the same contours as my original creator felt when he or she fashioned me into being. Behold the flat which has become functioning as well." In fact, even as I write this: maybe you can bring together a montage of five painters/illustrators who used the media of both drawing and sculpting to bring their two dimensional images into three dimensional incarnations. As always, I remain: respectfully and Gratefully yours Gregg Oreo Long Beach CA Etats Unis
Hello again, my friend, and thanks as usual for your appreciation and colourfully styled comments. I'll note your suggestion for future inclusion, but please don't hold your breath. I already have more than 50 others (yes, seriously) in the pipeline. And that's without my eventual return to unsung heroes.
I obviously can't help but compare to his contemporary Toulouse -Lautrec. Their handling of shapes , line work and design seems similar, both in their poster work and paintings/illustrations, though, I'm not implying that one copied the other. But curious if there were influences from either of them. I love Latrec and always thought of him more of an illustrator than an "easel painter" because his depictions of figures, especially those from the Moulin Rouge and the brothels because they tell stories, just as an illustrator does (and, of course, I'm not demeaning either discipline). Of course I know Steinlen's famous Chat Noir poster, but didn't know any of the other work from this artist. Thanks, as always, for filling in the gaps, a real treat on this hot Provencal evening (it got up to 33°C today!). Hope you're staying cool. You off to Barcelona soon or just returned? Depressed over the miserable showing of Biden in last night's debate, so I may need switch from cold drinking water to double daiquiris to stay cool (and less depressed 😉 ) Stay safe and cool, Pete!
Hello Doug, There doesn't seem to be any evidence that one influenced the other as they were born within 5 years of each other (Steinlen was the older of the two). It's most likely they shared similar influences - Japanese art and as an astute viewer has observed the paintings of Degas. I'm personally convinced Lautrec gets the lion's share of the attantion because of his tragic and somewhat sordid short life - always popular as with rock stars. Spain was a real pleasure and I'm glad to say it didn't get hotter than the high 20s. Keep drinking until the pain goes away, is my advice.
TS 7:27 this yes, indeed so famous an illustration & one of my favorites. I luv luv his cats & paint my own cats along w/ swamp hares. Cats & rabbits have a similarity in their body shapes & bony angles 😻😻😻😻😻. Sometimes my cats look like owls 🦉 & my hares look like kangaroos 🐰🐇🦘
Thanks for your appreciation again, and as a cat person myself I find his feline images very appealing. Although in an ideal world I wish they were British shorthairs.
There is a tribute in Angoulême about le chat noir, it's a restaurant with a giant black cat with steinlen style on a wall, type le chat noir angoulême to find out.
The following is neither a profound thought nor an insightful analysis of Steinlen's art, but as a cat person it would difficult for me not to appreciate his illustrations, even those focusing on human subjects.
@12:55. "By the time war broke out in 1914 Steinlen at 55 was already considered too old to be slaughtered". A very powerful statement Pete. Thank you.
"...was already too old to be considered fit to be slaughtered." Original Pete Beard is always best.
Thanks for your appreciation - I do try to be as eloquent as I'm able to be when writing the narration.
To put Debussy with the art, so dense, so poignant, what a wonderful idea.
I just can't imagine the amount of hard work, your dedication to the artists is a great inspiration. Thank you.
Thanks a lot for another appreciative comment. I got lucky with the music - it seems it's not subject to copyright.
Ned and Janet in Spain here to say thank you once again Pete. We both have loved Steinlen's work for most of our lives. We are also very much a pair of Cat lovers and no one ever drew them better than he. Great to hear about his history and personal passions and political views which made us love and respect him all the more. Stay healthy Pete. Can't wait to see what you'll be doing next.
Many thanks for your continued appreciation of the channel content. Plenty more in the pipeline.
Thank you Pete
You are most welcome.
I just want to say how much I love and appreciate these segments. Thank you.
Thanks for the comment, and it's good to know you appreciate the content.
Totally agree. I amastonished, how much artists I did not know are coming now to my knowledge. I even buy books of some of those because of Pete Beard. Thanks for that.
I wonder, how much work this must be, how many investigations and so on.
We have the poster at 11:50 hanging in our kitchen dining room. We look at it every day. So nice to have this story of the artist. Thank you as always.
Thanks as usual for your comment and appreciation.
You have answered a question I have had for some time. My wife made a lovely cross stitch piece of Chat Noir. I always wondered who created the original image. I now know it was Théophile Steinlen.
Thanks for the comment and I'm glad to have solved the mystery. Quite a few dimwitted online sources credit Lautrec for the poster.
Thanks for the presentation on Steinlen, in part showing how art can influence politics.
Thanks a lot for your comment and appreciation of this video and Steinlen's work.
It is a pleasure to see an artist who lived and worked in an era, that produced so much wonderful art! I always love to see the work of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and it is great to see similar work (on similar subjects) by a contemporary artist! So much alike, and yet so different. So much more to enjoy! Truly loved his pencil drawings...
Thanks as usual for your unfailing appreciation of the channel content. I'm pleased you - and others - enjoyed it.
His lettering was also incredible. Another feast for the eyes, this overview of Steinlen's work. Many thanks again for this great video!
That lettering really stood out to me too. I love how 'imperfect' it is - in my opinion, much stronger because of that.
Hello again and I'm very pleased you appreciate his work.
Thank you for this
You are very welcome.
I enjoyed this video a lot. Thank you for your work.
Thanks for your comment and I'm glad you enjoyed Steinlen's work.
Thanks, Pete! I was waiting for this video. Two Steinlein's cat posters I purchased in Paris in 2018 are on the wall in my studio. Being a proud owner of a black cat (she probably has different opinion of who owns who), I just love this artist!
Many thanks for your comment and appreciation. I noticed that on some Korean videos about cats (yes I'm not ashamed to admit I watch them) the owners refer to themselves as "butlers". Very apt.
I had seen some of these but now I know the backstory. So evocative of that time. Thank you for a wonderful video.
Thanks a lot for your comment, and I'm glad you appreciate his work.
There is a poster by Norman Lindsay which shosw sequence of cat cartoons in a similar manner to Steinlen's; which begs the question: was there anyone else before? Excellent video production again Pete! ps I can imagine Steinlen doing a sequence on cat versus printer if he lived in the UA-cam era.
Thanks for the comment and appreciation. And I had forgotten about Lindsay's cat books. As you say there are some remarkable similarities. And in case you haven't seen my tribute to Lindsay allow me to recommend it. For reasons I'll never understand very few have watched it. If you have, forget I spoke.
@@petebeard I shall have a look at your Lindsay tribute, but I shall have in mind a comment that I read recently about his female nudes not looking entirely female. ps I have visited his house/museum in NSW Australia.
Totally new to me. Thanks for all the education you offer. So many great artists.
I'm pleeased to have introduced you to his body of work. Thanks as always for the comment.
Thanks, Pete. I have to say how much I love Steinlen's work. And who could not have recognised Chat Noir cat. Definitely iconic.
I found it interesting looking at the woman in the blue coat as at first I thought it was a drawing using colour pencils or possibly pastels. Either way it is delightful.
Thanks again for your comment. Weidly - or maybe not - I have seen Le Chat Noir credited online to Lautrec quite a few times. And his brush work does resemble pastels in its application.
Thank you for this...
Thanks a lot for your comment, and you are very welcome.
Brilliant as ever - thanks Pete.
Many thanks for your appreciation.
Again Thank You Mr. Beard for an in-depth view of Steinlen's work, as many just know him for Chat Noir...Bravo.
Thanks a lot for your comment. If the evidence of the internet is to be believed quite a few who do know about that poster seem to think it was by Lautrec...
Yes, Mr. Beard, you have successful conveyed a body of work in a compelling fashion to foster my appreciation and esteem for yet another artist/illustrator that continues to delight fans. Bravo!
Thanks a lot for your favourable response to this video. Very welcome.
Very nice Pete. Very nice!
Thanks a lot for your comment.
What a wonderful collection of work. Thank you.
I'm glad you think so. Thanks a lot.
Thank you very much! I find this one of your most entrancing ventures!
Thanks a lot - that's good to know.
Another incredible artist I have never heard of before...Thanks for shining a light!
Thanks a lot for your comment and I'm very pleased to have introduced you to Steinlen's work.
Thank you for bringing Steinlen's work forward. I recognise a few of his pieces but have never known his name. H was a serious social commentator.
He was indeed, and thanks a lot for your comment.
Pete, s back....excellent post,thank you sir...hope the holiday was a good un,😊😊😊
Thanks as always, and the Costa Brava was wondeful, I'm pleased to say.
What a wonderful hand he had, a wonderful vision. Beautiful work! Thank you once again, Pete.
Thanks as always for your appreciation and comment.
Have loved his work for years. Have one of his on my living room wall. Love his cats.
Thanks a lot for your comment.
Thanks for reviewing this artist's work, I especially loved some of his posters. He had a special talent for drawing cats that the public recognized. Very inspiring, and viewing your channel continues to motivate me to keep up my drawing. Thank-you!
Thanks again for another favourable comment about this new video. And if the series encourages viewers to draw more I think that's a very good thing indeed.
Thank you, MR. Beard. Have a great weekend.
Thanks as always for your comment and good wishes.
Oh, my. He was quite clever enough when it came to poking the borax at society without incurring the wrath of those who had a passion to prevent others from doing so. I think it was because he seemed to illuminate the innocents that suffer the horrors of war instead of directly having a shot at those at the top. Wonderful upload, Mr. Beard.
Thanks as always for your comment and appreciation.
Love your posts. Thank you.
Many thanks for your appreciative comment.
Another mind opening lecture from Pete Beard about the universe of illustration. Thanks a lot!
Thanks a lot for your appreciation. It's very welcome.
WOnderful
again I'm so impressed with the breadth and knowledge you contain and how beneficial it is to share .
Thanks a lot - your comment is greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much, Mr. Beard, for bringing the life and work of Steinlen forward. He has been one of my favorite graphic artists for decades but I knew very little about him. One of my majors in college was art history but this field (graphic art) was never even mentioned. I wish there was a nice chunky book about Steinlen. Many thanks for all your hard work and dedication - I have enjoyed each and every one of your presentations. Best wishes from the Pacific NW.
Many thanks for your appreiation of my work on the channel and this video in particular. To me it's strange and somewhat elitist when art history courses ignore those who created such work, just because it was commercial.
I knew as I saw this video he would be the man behind Chat Noir. It’s such a distinctive style. It’s a great feeling finding out more behind a single poster. The vast output of his work is astonishing. All of it amazing. Thank you for making this video. Subscribed ! 👍👍
Many thanks for your comment and appreciation of Steinlens work. And yet more thanks for your subscription. I hope you find more on the channel that's of interest.
Absolutely wonderful, thanks Pete. 5 cats here btw 🙂
Thanks for the comment, and I once had 4 at the same time so you have my admiration.
Bravo! One of your best (and they’re all wonderful).
Thaat's avery nice thing to say, so thanks a lot for your appreciation.
Merci🍃.
My pleasure.
His typographic “paper cut” letters are absolutely beautiful!
Thanks for the comment. I must admit I tried to do the titling using his style but made such a bad job of it I took the easy way out with an existing font.
I'm always quick to click on your videos, eager to see what new thing you are going to teach me! Like many I've seen the ubiquitous "Chat Noir" many times and was intrigued by the style. Being also a "cat person" I quickly saw that the chocolate ad with the little girl and cat at tea was by the same person, but never knew who the artist was. Most of his earlier work leaves me cold, but I really liked the common people he drew as they are so much more alive than many of his contemporaries, and there is definitely a sympathy that comes out in the scenes of all sorts of folk, that is charming.
Thanks as always for your comment and appreciation. Much is made by some of the symbolism represented by the cats, but I'm more inclined to think he just liked them and enjoyed drawing them.
@@petebeard I agree. There is definitely a difference between his cats, which are lovingly drawn, and Louis Wain's fascinating, if demented, paintings, which I also enjoy very much!
I really like Steinlen’s work, sensitively aware of the society around him.
Thankss as always for your comment. And I think it's interesting that frequently it's the illustrators who comment on their society more frequently than artists, who can be a little too self-obsessed.
@@petebeard That’s one more reason why I enjoy your videos. Thank you.
Crazy to think that he was self-taught, that really speaks to his commitment as a draftsman to be able to work in so many mediums.
Thanks for the comment and appreciation. And I've never added up what percentage of these illustrators were self taught, but it seems fairly often that it's the case.
Excellente présentation. Merci beaucoup.
Je suis heureux que vous ayez apprécié la vidéo et merci pour votre commentaire.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thanks *Pete* loved this one
A wonderful video. Thank you so much!
Many thanks for your appreciation.
Many thanks for presenting Steinlen, maybe little known outside the Hexagon but very well known in France as you can find easily reproductions and reprints. The art market is pretty active with plenty of original lithos at affordable prices. The cats drawings are in high esteem by all the lovers of this animal, it's an appreciated gift by any cat lover.
Théophile Steinlen was beyond socialist, he was anarchist. He supported many social causes and gave hundreds of illustrations mainly to anarchist publications.
A little known fact ; a friend presented to him in 1911 a young black model Masseida (1889-1929) born in Ivory Coast at the time a French Colony. Steinlen was widowed, and they lived together until his death. Masseida survived him only six years and died at only 40 years.
Thanks a lot for your appreciation, and for the additional information and insight into his life. And I had known nothing of Masseida otherwise I would have included her in his story.
@@petebeard @petebeard It's normal you had nothing about Masseida simply because there is no source in English.
The relationship came truly on surface only recently. Steinlen's daughter Colette died in 1969 and was very discreet.
Nobody seems to have noted before how a so called governess was in the Steinlen's will and received a substantial part of the inheritance.
I know well her grave as I live in Paris close to the beautiful Père Lachaise graveyard. Impossible to put the link with YT. It's the Goo-g-l-e dictature.
@@petebeard From a page of the Musée cantonal des Beaux-Arts de Lausanne.Translated from French with Google.
Steinlen met Masséida in 1911, through Jean-Louis Forain (the famous illustrator). Originally from the Bambara ethnic group, the young woman is known in artistic circles. She poses for painters, including Félix Vallotton who represents her with her facial scarifications (Negress draped in red, 1911, private collection). After the death of Steinlen's wife, she became his companion and ran his house jointly - and not without conflict - with his daughter Colette. When the artist died, she inherited part of the studio fund. When she died at the age of forty, her estate fueled the art market for a long time, with no fewer than eight public sales from 1930 to 2000.
Masséida often posed for Steinlen, who represented her in charcoal studies made from life, and in more ambitious oil compositions. In the first, we see her busy with household chores, in academic poses, or lying naked on a sofa. In the latter, she is at the center of compositions with strong chromaticism, brushed in large dense flat areas, in an expressive and robust style which of course evokes Paul Gauguin, but especially the painters of Montmartre, and in particular Suzanne Valadon. On all occasions, Steinlen accentuates the feline character of his model, emphasizing its flexibility and natural grace.
@@pabloricardodetarragon2649 Thanks again for yet more information. And I hadn't made the connection that the cemetery is home to quite a few famous deceased.
10/10 pete, best and only channel about illustration.
Thanks very much for your favourable opinion of this video and the channel.
So glad I happened on this. Better late than never. Thank you Pete Beard.
I'm glad you found the channel too. Thanks a lot for your appreciation.
Absolutely! What a wonderful artist.
Thanks a lot for your comment, and I'm pleased you appreciate his work.
Beautiful
Thanks a lot.
amazing as usual, thanks for your work!
Thanks for your appreciation - such comments keep me motivated.
Loved this one Pete, but I was aware of Steinlen via his cat art, but have not seen much of art. I can Toulouse-Lautrec's influence on him, and a touch of Edgar Degas as well.
Thanks a lot for your comment. I think the jury may be out as to who influenced who when it comes to Lautrec. Or it could be that they both had absorbed similar influences and had similar intentions.
You describe theology as an odd choice of subject for Steinlen, but considering that "Théophile" means "love of God", theology seems like a very apposite choice ;) Great work as usual, Pete, you really have a fine knack for presenting your subjects in an engaging and sympathetic light, bravo.
Aha! Well spotted and I missed that. Although if we follow the logic I should have studied geology or similar, given my name. Thanks a lot for the comment.
🐈⬛MEOWWW🐈⬛THANKS PETE!🌹
Thanks a lot for your appreciation.
@@petebeard U Bet! I Love your channel, the video's and your presentation & narration, I enjoy it so much, and learn . Much Thanks!! Cheers,Ruby/KKTVR💐💋🫖☕🍰
👍Thank you!🇬🇧🇵🇹
As always you are very welcome.
They're all excellent, Pete, but this one was inspired.
Thanks a lot. It's appreciated.
11:37 The color choices, the spider webbing, and the mounds of people almost being shoveled into a man-building. This almost seems like a prototype of a Zdzisław Beksiński painting 50 years before Beksiński was even born. I wonder if he ever saw it?
Thanks a lot for your comment and appreciation of Steinlen's work. And it's always possible he was influential on Beksiński.
Terrific! I always wondered about the artist who did those cat posters . . . .They share a style with other posters, but have a certain je ne sai quois . . . Anyway -- TY, P.B.!
Hello and thanks a lot for your comment and appreciation.
Thank you, Pete Beard - so interesting - from cats (and dogs) to social issues - it seems to me I've seen his work but didn't know who he was - VERY nice to know the original Le Chat Noir!
Many thanks for your comment and appreciation. Both are very welcome.
Pushing Jiminy Glick out the window so I can watch this unimpeded.
Thanks for prioritising my video, I hope it was worth it.
Thanks Pete 😊
You are most welcome.
Thanks, great job. i really appreciate this one. I now know who is the artist behind one of my favorite art poeces. I have a reproduction of Tournée du Chat Noir in my living room.
All part of the service... thanks a lot for the comment.
I was lucky enough to catch an exhibition in Madrid a few years ago about Fin de Siecle poster artists in Paris (* also what an innovative poster time it was also as far as actual production ; ie: the first actual billboards were created..) Steinlen's 'King of the Alleycats' painting was there (- it was huge! ) as well as other cat paintings which were equally enchanting. I have known him primarily by his cat imagery- I had no idea that he was part of so many publications, nor was I aware that his sympathies were with the working class. Like Kathe Kollwitz (* of whom you also created a video-) he knew the power of the poster..Thank you for your wonderful video and for teaching us that Steinlen was so much more than an artist who drew felines..
Thanks a lot for your comment and insights into Steinlen's work. But regarding Kollwitz I haven't actually made a video about her. I did start one but the research confirmed what I already suspected - that she was far more an artist than an illustrator, which left me with not enough material.
Thanks, Pete, another excellent video. I love Steinlen, and I had a book full of his wonderful cat drawings. Where that disappeared to, I don't know. Some rotter scampered off with it, no doubt.
Hello again and thanks for your appreciation. Sorry about the wandering book - many of mine seem to have had a similar fate.
@@petebeard Such is life!
A fine hand and eye, who even in his most political moments (unlike some more famous artists of the time) never allowed his 'convictions' to get in the way of his art -- or his humanity! But I can't believe that the Psychedelic Psixties (and nobody since, either) never adopted some of his earlier fonts!
Thanks again for another comment, and I'm glad you appreciate the qualities of his work.
I have always admired Steinlein for his color, subject matter (especially cats) and composition. His strict use of geometric presentation of subjects and the startling use of foreground material contrasted with deep background subjects make him almost unique among Belle Epoque artists. Of all poster artists I only admire Jules Cheret more than Steinlein. Another great video presentation.
Many thanks for your comments and appreciation of this video. Both are very welcome.
Excellent et suberb!
MERCI!
Pas du tout - c'est mon plaisir
Brilliant.
Thanks again.
Nice job Pete! Hope you managed to have a good - albeit brief - holiday?
Thanks a lot, and a week is about as long as I can stand to be away from my home - and computer. But it was a very pleasant week.
I don’t know if you’re anywhere near Bath in Uk, but there’s a nice Toulouse Lautrec and other fin de siecle poster artists exhibition on at the moment in the Victoria Art gallery. Very interesting to see many of these posters in person and full size
Thanks a lot for the tip-off about the Bath exhibition. I'll check it out, and I wouldn't mind a few days away somewhere pleasant.
I wasn't aware that his wife and daughter were the models for those posters. I used to have a large poster of the milk and cats one for quite awhile, though it got more than somewhat sun-bleached near the end!
And yet another self-taught illustrator/artist! There seems to have been quite a few of them. Often more impressive than some of the ones churned out by various art schools!
Thanks for another favourable comment. I've never bothered to find out how many of the subjects I've covered were self taught (or mostly so at least) but I'd estimate a good quarter of them.
ONCE Again, dear Monsieur Beard, you have brought Light into darkness. Thank you. P.s. isn't it amazing? While only a few illustrators among the many --- some two dimensional painters venture into the realm of three dimensional sculpting. It seems as though their inner muse: years to leap from the peint brush or pen, and swirl into a cosmic dance that creates an image that bespeaks, "NOT ONLY SEE ME, but touch me, feel me, marvel at me from all sides, and, from above and from below. With Your own fingertips --- feel the same contours as my original creator felt when he or she fashioned me into being. Behold the flat which has become functioning as well." In fact, even as I write this: maybe you can bring together a montage of five painters/illustrators who used the media of both drawing and sculpting to bring their two dimensional images into three dimensional incarnations. As always, I remain: respectfully and Gratefully yours Gregg Oreo Long Beach CA Etats Unis
Hello again, my friend, and thanks as usual for your appreciation and colourfully styled comments. I'll note your suggestion for future inclusion, but please don't hold your breath. I already have more than 50 others (yes, seriously) in the pipeline. And that's without my eventual return to unsung heroes.
I obviously can't help but compare to his contemporary Toulouse -Lautrec. Their handling of shapes , line work and design seems similar, both in their poster work and paintings/illustrations, though, I'm not implying that one copied the other. But curious if there were influences from either of them. I love Latrec and always thought of him more of an illustrator than an "easel painter" because his depictions of figures, especially those from the Moulin Rouge and the brothels because they tell stories, just as an illustrator does (and, of course, I'm not demeaning either discipline). Of course I know Steinlen's famous Chat Noir poster, but didn't know any of the other work from this artist. Thanks, as always, for filling in the gaps, a real treat on this hot Provencal evening (it got up to 33°C today!). Hope you're staying cool. You off to Barcelona soon or just returned? Depressed over the miserable showing of Biden in last night's debate, so I may need switch from cold drinking water to double daiquiris to stay cool (and less depressed 😉 ) Stay safe and cool, Pete!
Hello Doug,
There doesn't seem to be any evidence that one influenced the other as they were born within 5 years of each other (Steinlen was the older of the two). It's most likely they shared similar influences - Japanese art and as an astute viewer has observed the paintings of Degas. I'm personally convinced Lautrec gets the lion's share of the attantion because of his tragic and somewhat sordid short life - always popular as with rock stars. Spain was a real pleasure and I'm glad to say it didn't get hotter than the high 20s. Keep drinking until the pain goes away, is my advice.
TS 7:27 this yes, indeed so famous an illustration & one of my favorites. I luv luv his cats & paint my own cats along w/ swamp hares. Cats & rabbits have a similarity in their body shapes & bony angles 😻😻😻😻😻. Sometimes my cats look like owls 🦉 & my hares look like kangaroos 🐰🐇🦘
Thanks for your appreciation again, and as a cat person myself I find his feline images very appealing. Although in an ideal world I wish they were British shorthairs.
❤
There is a tribute in Angoulême about le chat noir, it's a restaurant with a giant black cat with steinlen style on a wall, type le chat noir angoulême to find out.
Thanks - I'll take a look. I hope some day to visit the museum at Angoulême, and if I do I will dine at Le Chat Noir.
Dear Sir,
"Fit to be slaughtered..." Methinks we have a concordant view on war.
Cheers from pacifist Brazil!
Hello and many thanks for your comment. That war in particular was such a grotesque and pointless waste of human life.
The following is neither a profound thought nor an insightful analysis of Steinlen's art, but as a cat person it would difficult for me not to appreciate his illustrations, even those focusing on human subjects.
Thanks for another favourable comment. I've never understood how some humans don't care for cats.
I have loved his cat pictures for a long time, but didn’t know much about him! Thank you, kind sir!✌️♥️🗳️🟦
Thanks a lot for another couple if favourable comments. It's good to know the effort is appreciated.