Artist: Manuel Robbe French (1872-1936)
Title: L'Eclatante
Plate: PL. 143
Original lithograph from "Les Maitres de L'Affiche" series.
Printed by Imprimerie Chaix, Paris, 1898.
Presented in 16 x 20 in. acid free, archival museum mat, with framing labels. Ready to frame. Shipped boxed flat via Fedex.
Certificate of Authenticity.
Maitre Sheet Size: 11 3/8 in x 15 3/4 in 29 cm x 40 cm
Price: $175.00
Full size sold for $ 3,840 US. Poster Auctions International NY. Jan 2015
Combining a heavy Japanese influence with the design skills of a great master, Robbe creates a brilliant poster for the kerosene lamp, L'Eclatante. Two elegant ladies are entranced by the kerosene light, against a setting that is made distinctly dramatic by it's vibrant flowing red sky. The manner of line and patterns used for the central figure could easily be mistaken for a Japanese print, which had become dethroned by the poster, as the fashionable art form of the day. The exceptional rendering of the lettering of "L'Eclatante" furthers this opinion. The overall effect is enchanting and in definite contrast to the impressionist painting style Robbe had become famous for, in his aquatint prints of beautiful women of the bourgeoisie.
"Robbe was known mainly for producing a great many decorative prints in a bold, robust style. His posters are rare and show an incredible flare for composition and use of simple colour" (Rennert XXIX-599)