Design Nouveau

Maurice Pillard-Verneuil (1869-1942) began architectural studies in Paris but a strong interest in art led him to apprentice at L'École Guérin under Eugène Grasset, the master of the emerging Art Nouveau style of the late 19th century.

Under the twin influences of Grasset and Japanese art, Verneuil developed into the perfect embodiment of La Belle Époque artist-designer, drawing inspiration from nature, and working in such diverse disciplines as posters, embroidery, furniture, ceramics and batik prints. As a correspondent for L'Illustration, Verneuil visited Cambodia and Java and began collecting Asian handicrafts and art, a passion for which he maintained throughout his life.

The incorporation of the natural world - plants, animals and sea creatures - into his ornamental graphic design work would remain his lasting influence, and the novel motifs were widely circulated in a series of books he published alone or in collaboration with other artists.

The images above (all cleaned slightly) are from the 1900 book, 'Combinaisons Ornementales se Multipliant à l'Infini à l'Aide du Miroir' (Decorative Combinations, Infinitely Multiplied with a Mirror) at NYPL (about sixty images in total).

After writing all this I discovered that the book was actually a collaborative effort between Verneuil ('MPV'), Alphonse Mucha (circle with an 'M') and George Auriol (I *think* the image with blue leaves and grass is his) {neither of whom are credited by NYPL}. The majority of the images here are by Verneuil. I don't think there are any particular sites with background on Verneuil worth linking - I gleaned snippets of information from a range of secondary sources.

Previously related:

• Stassen Fairy Tales
• La Belle Epoque
• Decorative Fantasies
• Pochoir Insects