La Vague (The Wave) by Henri Privat-Livemont - Artvee
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Henri Privat-Livemont (1861–1936) was an artist born in Schaerbeek, Brussels, Belgium. He is best known for his Art Nouveau posters. From 1883 to 1889, he worked and studied in the studios of Lemaire, Lavastre & Duvignaud. He, with Lemaire, created the decor of the Theatre Francais as well as the Hôtel de Ville, Paris. He later moved back to Brussels, and worked on theaters and casinos there. In 1897 worked on the poster for the Brussels International Exposition (1897)

Had you thought it was Mucha? It’s all right, I had too. Comparing their work side by side, it seems to me that Privat-Livemont has the much more illustrative style – careful contrasts and shapes – and Mucha wins out in rendering volume, fleshiness.

I like this work because while obviously inspired by Japonisme of the time, it’s not trying to exoticize anything. I also like it because there are shellfish in her hair and that’s rad.