Seven Stylized Motifs from Nature

This drawing is part of a group of seven exercises made by a female artist named Helene Forichon while she attended classes at the École Regionale des Beaux Arts de Clermont Ferrand at the beginning of the twentieth century. Together, these drawings represent the process of ornament design that was taught to many artists across Europe at the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth century. After the period of historicism, nature became a primary source of inspiration for ornament and pattern design. Students would begin by studying directly after nature, and then learn how to create stylized versions of flora and fauna to be applied onto a range of different products, from textile and wallpaper, to tableware and furniture. This group represents all steps in this process and also shows various different applications for ornament and pattern design, ranging from small objects such as serve ware and a handheld fire screen, to a stained glass window and a wrought iron shop sign.