MANUEL ORAZI (1860-1934) THÉÂTRE DE LOIE FULLER / EXPOSITION UNIVERSELLE. 1900.
78 3/4x24 inches, 200x61 cm. Manuel Orazi, Paris.
Condition B+ / B: partially-replaced side margins; expertly-repaired tears, minor restored losses, creases and restoration in margins and image and along horizontal seam; repaired pin holes in corners. Two-sheets. Mounted on Japan.
Orazi was born in Rome and added his Italian flair to the French Art Nouveau style in both his illustrations and posters. This poster is for Loie Fuller's special theatre at the 1900 Paris World's Fair. One of the major attractions of the fair was the Rue de Paris, a street where famous concert halls and cabarets like the Chat Noir and the Grand Guignol set up mini theatres. One such venue was the Palais de la Danse, where dancer Loie Fuller had been hired to perform. At the last minute, she decided to open her own theatre at the fair instead and chose Orazi to design her poster. Her act, "La Danse Serpentine," involved colored spotlights shining on veils she wore around her body. In 1893, Chéret made a series of posters depicting the dancer - each in a different color. Seven years later, Orazi uses the same technique. This extraordinary, elongated image exists in three different color variations. It is without a doubt the most enigmatic poster designed for her, infused with pure artistic inspiration. Delicately and intricately colored, the dancer swirls beneath a falling bouquet of roses. As the flowers are caught up in the vortex of her dance, they are transformed into snowflakes, crystals and round decorative motifs. Throughout the image, the gradation of colors is skillfully handled, supporting Maindron's claim that Orazi was "a magnificent lithographer." This mysterious and fascinating image is one of the best and rarest of all the Loie Fuller posters. Word and Image p. 34, Modern Poster 11, Maitres 1900 p. 43, Abdy p. 62, Weill 55, Art Nouveau p. 120, The Poster 51.