New Year’s Card (Bonne Année!) - Georges de Feure

A refined Art Nouveau lithograph by Georges de Feure, featuring a stylish figure in a monochromatic, textured composition.

Georges de Feure was a central figure in the French Art Nouveau movement, known for his contributions to graphic design, theatre, and the decorative arts. This lithograph, created as a New Year's greeting, displays the characteristic aesthetic of the fin-de-siècle period. The composition features a woman in a high-collared coat and elaborate hat, holding a letter, set against a stylised urban backdrop. The use of a monochromatic, textured ink application creates a soft, atmospheric quality that contrasts with the sharp, deliberate lines of the figure's silhouette. De Feure frequently collaborated with journals such as Le Courrier Français and L'Image, where his work often explored themes of femininity and mystery. His approach to graphic design prioritised decorative harmony over strict realism. The lettering for the greeting is integrated into the design, reflecting the period's interest in the unity of text and image. The background elements, including the fence and the distant figure, are rendered with a stippled effect, which adds depth without disrupting the overall flatness of the print. This piece captures the elegance associated with Parisian life at the turn of the century, while demonstrating the artist's ability to balance commercial requirements with a distinct personal style. The muted palette and the focus on a singular, fashionable subject are typical of his graphic output during this era, providing a glimpse into the visual culture of the time.