Art Nouveau Stencil Designs in Color

Book excerpt: Drawn from a rare French volume, this gallery of delicate multicolor stenciling in the Art Nouveau style features the use of pochoir, a unique method that was popular in Paris during the early part of the twentieth century. Distinctive for its clear, sharp lines, vibrant colors, and textured surfaces, pochoir stenciling was used in fashion journals, interiors, architecture, and industrial design—and offers a host of applications in those areas today. Steeped in the flowing, graceful style of Art Nouveau, this remarkable array of colorful illustrations showcases panels, friezes, walls, and ceilings, embellished with such natural delights as wild roses and nasturtiums, pears and grapes, seagulls and geese, rabbits and roosters, and children playing in country settings. The high-quality, royalty-free art will prove to be an abundant source of inspiration for crafters, decorators, and graphic designers.