Here we have a rare lithograph poster by the French master illustrator Lucien Hector Jonas in 1917. The battle trench scene is alive with the chaos of World War I. And the detail? Forget about it. The detail is so good I thought it was an original. The depth of everything is stunning. And the lithograph is huge. The framed piece is 32 x 23. When you're talking about battle, this is up close and personal. A ton of bricks coming right at you. Unreal illustrator art.
The rare WW1 lithograph is signed both in the lithograph block on the lower right, and in graphite near the lower center (see pics). Also in graphite it notes "196 of 200". The poster comes out of an old art collector's estate in the Twin Cities. On the reverse the old framing tag is from Fargo, North Dakota.
Here is a snippet of the artist's biography about his wartime work:
In February 1915, he was approved as the "Military Painter attached to the Army Museum". From mission to mission, he traveled the front, from Belgium to the Vosges, then he was asked to paint portraits of military leaders, such French (March 15, 1915) and Pershing (August 14, 1917, currently at the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York), Foch (the day after his appointment as generalissimo). In total, seven to eight hundred oils, and nearly four thousand drawings reproduced in large numbers in L'Illustration, Annales, Lectures pour tous and in the Allied newspapers.
In 1916, he was named official painter of the French Navy. He also gained success with his murals in the Art Deco style, including in Paris (House of Central) and Valenciennes (City Hall, Chamber of Commerce). In 1926, he was named Rosati d'honneur, in 1929, he was named knight of the Legion of Honor.
Here is the full biography.
The framed illustration art poster measures about 32" by 23". The poster has some slight "wave" warping from the old framing, especially near the main soldier's head. There may be a few small discolorations but it's difficult to tell with such an active scene. The frame is definitely showing it's age with patina everywhere. The piece has not been viewed outside of the framing. Please see all pics as they are part of the description.
I ship FedEx to street addresses in the continental USA only (no PO boxes please). Free shipping on the stunning WWI poster.
Talk about capturing a scene. You can actually hear the sounds just looking at it. Take cover.
Lucien Hector Jonas WWI Lithograph Poster - French Illustration Art - Rare Illustrator Signed - Battle Scene
