The Art of Pochoir Illumination: Available Resources on Internet

As of February 17, 2024

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Generic documents available online on color pochoir reproduction

Several full-text documents are freely available on the Internet.   For a more complete overview, consult any of the documentary guides identified below.

Worth noting:

• Jean Saudé. "Traité d’enluminure d’art au pochoir". Paris, Aux Éditions de l'Ibis, 1925, 74 pp.  The iconic book par excellence in a digitized version by the New York Public Library.
• Gilles Caron. "The Art of Pochoir Illumination: the Luxury of a Gone Era".   Summary document on the history, technique and achievements associated with this little-known art form from its beginnings to the present day (2022).  Also available in PDF version.
• Gilles Caron. "The main actors of the great epoch of pochoir reproduction" (PDF document in French)
• Gilles Caron.  "Magazines with pochoir illustrations".  (PDF document in French)
• Paul Zwartkruis, himself a great collector of pochoirs, was an enthusiastic propagandist of this art.   He maintained for several years an exceptional site, "PochoirWorld", which is no longer available.  Some of his texts:
  • "Masters of the Pochoir: A tour d'horizon" by Paul Zwartkruis (texte PDF)
  • "L'art du Pochoir" by Paul Zwartkruis.   French PDF version of a recreated text originally published in PochoirWorld (now closed)
  • "L'art de Pochoir" by Paul Zwartkruis.   PDF version in English of a text originally published in PochoirWorld (now closed).   The English version differs significantly from the previous text published in French.   Also available at this URL: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/28332684/collect-magazine-l-art-de-pochoir-renssen-art
  • "L'art de Pochoir" by Paul Zwartkruis.   PDF version in Dutch of a text that originally appeared in PochoirWorld (now closed).   The Dutch version is a translation of the English version.
  • "L'art de Pochoir" by Paul Zwartkruis.   HTML version in Chinese of a text originally published in PochoirWorld (now closed).   The Chinese version is a translation of the English version.

Sites presenting digitized images of works or collections

• Perfum Drinker maintained by Anna Lucia lists the so-called "fashion" documents accessible in full text.  Among these, several magazines from the great "Arts Déco" period that made intensive use of the pochoir as an illustration technique
• The site of the Galerie JPM where the full text of many classics with pochoir illustrations are available in full or in part.
• The site "SPL Hand Coloured Rare Book Collection" offers online reproductions, sometimes in high definition, of pochoirs extracted from works considered as classics of pochoir illustration.
• The Digital Collections of the New York Public Library includes, under the theme "pochoir", thousands of digitized plates extracted from nearly one hundred titles.

• The Art of the Pochoir Book.   Images from the University of Cincinnati "Archives & Rare Books Library" collection.

Multiple state simulations

Pochoir art illumination requires, as we know, the successive use of numerous pochoirs, each one ensuring the application of a different color or shade that completes the previous one until an optimal rendering is obtained that respects the original work. The realization of certain reproductions could require the continuous use of a very large number of pochoirs, up to 120 in the case of certain works. The multiple state simulation aims to illustrate in slideshow mode the sequence of use of these pochoirs.

Four (4) exemples:

1. "Le Pont-Neuf en 1635".   Illustrator: Jean Gradassi.  Double plates extract from "Louis XIII et Richelieu" by Jules Michelet at the "Éditions d'art Sefer", Nice, 1983-1984.
2. "La fête du dragon".  Illustrator: Jean Gradassi.  Plates extract from "Les Quatre Piliers de la Sagesse" by Confucius at the editions "Le Chant des Sphères", Nice, en 1989.
3. "Bataile contre les Mongols".  Illustrator: Jean Gradassi.  Plates extract from "Les Quatre Piliers de la Sagesse" by Confucius at the editions "Le Chant des Sphères", Nice, en 1989.
4. "Le Chenil".  Illustrator: Dominique Pardigon.   Plates extract from "Le Livre de Chasse" by Gaston Phoebus at the editions "Arts et Couleurs", Monaco.  1995-96.

Exhibition catalogs available online

The exhibition catalogs, in addition to highlighting the existence of exceptional works that have been presented to the public, will offer you in the preface texts that are always extremely relevant to the art of the pochoir itself.

• Art Deco Paris 1900–1925: Catalogue of the Exhibition of Pochoir Color Prints from the Graphic Arts Collection  Dale Roylance, "The Princeton University Library Chronicle" , Princeton University Library, Autumn 1999, Vol. 61, No. 1 (Autumn 1999), pp. 1-72.
• Pochoir by Painters: an Exhibition of Books, Folios, Prints, and Ephemera, 1918-1938, from the collection of Charles Rahn Fry, December 6, 1988-March 3, 1989.  [New York]: Thomas J. Watson Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, c1989.
• Vibrant Visions: Pochoir Prints in the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Library presented by the Smithsonian Institution Libraries.

Research guides produced by the best institutions

Research guides are produced by various institutions (especially universities) to guide students and researchers in discovering the best sources of information available on the topic covered, mainly within their institution.  They are an excellent starting point for any research on the identified topic or theme.  An important advantage is that they are usually regularly updated.

• Pochoir: Art of the Stencil: Pochoir: History and Techniques by the "Fleet Library",  "Rhode Island School of Design" (RISD) library.
• Art Deco: A Research Guide: About. "This guide will provide an overview to the time period and movement known as Art Deco" produced by the "New York Public Library"
• The Art and Craft of Pochoir by the "Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library" from Yale University.

Bibliographic sources on the Internet

• Vibrant Visions: Pochoir Prints in the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum Library
• The two exhibition catalogs mentioned above ("Art Deco Paris 1900-1925" and "Pochoir by Painters") present important annotated bibliographical references on the subject.
• Fashioning the Modern French Interior. Pochoir Portfolios in the 1920s
• The "Charles Rahn Fry Pochoir Collection", Graphics Arts Collection, Princeton University Library

Videos demonstrating the technique

• Visite d'un atelier de mise en couleurs manuelle au pochoir Demonstration by "Atelier du Lys" (formerly "Atelier Roger Antic" - Éditions de l'Ibis) by Jean-Paul Martin.
• Beauvais Lyons: Pochoir History and Methods by "The University of Tennessee".  French version here.   Includes a multiple state simulation of Cleland's "The Advertising Man" (1929).
• Kitty Maryatt, for her part, has been the subject of or participated in the making of several videos of interest in the context of her immense project to re-create "La Prose du Transsibérien", originally produced in 1913 by Sonia Delaunay and Blaise Cendrars.  Note:
  • “Virtual Documentary Screening: The Re-creation of a Masterpiece: La Prose du Transsibérien".   A long video (2h25) produced by the Minnesota Center for Book Arts.  Everything you would want to know about this project, both technically and historically.   Includes, in addition to the intervention of many artisans who worked on the project, the participation of Rosylyn Rhee who made the basic video and the testimonies of Nathalie Couderc and Christine Menguy from the Atelier de coloris à la main de Ploubazlanec, France who played an essential role in its realization.
  •  "'Nearly Extinct: Traditional French Pochoir Techniques' -- talk by Prof Kitty Maryatt, 23.03.23".  Another long video (1h37) produced by the Centre for Visual Cultures, Royal Holloway, London.  More technical than the previous one, it traces the history of the project which should eventually lead to the production of 180 copies, including 30 H.C.
  • “ Kitty Maryatt's Pochoir Technique for La Prose du Transsibérien Re-creation Deluxe Edition ».  Produced by the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, this short video (2:06 m) focuses specifically on the production of the 30 copies produced for the "Deluxe" edition of the same document.
• Pochoir, Richard Coles private view of Phil Rogers exhibition, John Piper Coventry Cathedral, largely inspired by the above mentioned work of Saudé.

Accessible websites... for now!

• Graphic Arts: Illustrated books Archives. Exhibitions, acquisitions, and other highlights from the Graphic Arts Collection, Princeton University Library. See, among others, the following "blogs" published between 2007 and 2013 by Julie L. Mellby presenting some of the major pieces of the collection, mostly from the "Charles Rahn Fry Pochoir Collection": Preserving visions of bliss (2013), La Guirlande (2013), Deauville (2013), Journal des dames et des modes (2011), An Art Deco Song of Solomon (2010), Barbier's Falbalas & fanfreluches (2010), Les jardins precieux (2010), Yan Bernard Dyl (2010), Eugene Alain Seguy (2009), Documents d'Atelier (2008).  Plus an interesting note about the "discovery" of a pochoir that might have been used for the production of Saudé's "Traité d'enluminure d'art au pochoir" (1925).
• The "blog" La Prose: The Pochoir Re-creation of "La Prose du Transsibérien" by Kitty Maryatt is a wonderful narrative that allows you to revisit in real time from 2012 to 2023 the journey associated with the completion of this project.
• From the Private Library's Archives: Pochoir and The Private Library. A text by L. D. Mitchell published on June 02, 2011. 

Some interesting texts

• Elegance and Extravagance: A Brief History of Pochoir

Pochoir color reproduction and AI (Artificial Intelligence). A few queries:

• What is pochoir color reproduction? Gemini search (Google)

• Pochoir color reproduction: a concise bibliography. Gemini search (Google)

Interested in collecting pochoir art?  Where and how?

Many booksellers (see examples here and here) are offering for sale individual pochoirs or documents, most often books or brochures, illustrated with pochoir.   " Searching " the internet for all the bookstores or websites offering such works could be painful and tedious.  I propose three (3) approaches:

• Explore the websites of the few producers still active.  I am thinking specifically of "l'Atelier de Coloris à la Main" and Richard Leray.
• Explore auction websites. 

1. Many auction sites, especially French ones, are offering pochoir illustrated works.  I suggest setting up alerts on some of the aggregator sites so you can be kept up to date on interesting pieces soon to be offered by the auction houses they cover.  The most interesting ones: Drouot.com, Interenchères, Catawiki and, for North American coverage, Liveauctioneers.   Warning: before bidding on anything, be aware of the post auction costs (packaging and shipping) which can be very expensive.
2. Do not neglect the "majors" such as Christie's, Sotheby's, etc. who periodically offer major pieces at their specialized auctions.
3. For cards (postcards, party cards, etc.), the site to know: Delcampe

• Use the generic platforms for used book purchases.

Most booksellers or used book dealers use sites such as AbeBooks or EBay.fr to advertise and offer for sale the contents of their inventories.  Looking for a specific item?  BookFinder is the right choice.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the "Store" of David Pardo (email: davidja.pardo@gmail.com) who is gradually selling on EBay.fr (pseudonym: laudapa) the "fond de commerce" resulting from the dissolution of the businesses of his father, Joseph Pardo.   The latter has left us some of the most beautiful bibliophile works illustrated with pochoirs¹.

Finally, the "Associated Art Collectors" website offers some remarkable pieces by Miró and Matisse.

¹ Excel spreadsheet of documents produced by Joseph Pardo and sons under different publishers' names (Éditions d'Art Sefer, Chez Joseph Pardo_à l'enseigne du Sefer, Arts et Couleurs, etc.) between 1949 and 2007.