Georges de Feure’s La Source du Mal (The Source of Evil) is a quintessentially Symbolist vision, presenting a mysterious woman kneeling beside a fantastical spring surrounded by brilliantly stylized vegetation. Her elongated form, flowing hair, and dramatic pose are integrated into a landscape of sweeping leaves, curling stems, and saturated reds, yellows, greens, and blues. De Feure reduces natural forms to bold, almost abstract shapes, creating a composition that feels simultaneously organic and dreamlike. The intense palette and sinuous contours also reveal the strong influence of Japonisme on French Art Nouveau graphic design.
Created in 1894 for L’Estampe originale, the work plays on the double meaning of the French word source, which can mean both a source or origin and a spring of water. This ambiguity gives the image its unsettling symbolism: the woman may be drinking from a corrupted spring, or she may herself represent the “source of evil.” The Smart Museum notes that the image exemplifies the Symbolist tendency to associate female figures with ideas of temptation and original sin, while also reflecting de Feure’s broader fascination with female beauty and its role in art. Its combination of Symbolism, Japonisme, and the emerging Art Nouveau aesthetic makes it an especially striking example of late-19th-century French graphic art.
🖨️ Print features:
– Made with museum-grade archival paper for excellent printing fidelity and vibrant color reproduction
– Paper weight: 189 g/m2
– For indoor use only
– Care instructions: If the print does gather any dust, you may wipe it off gently with a clean, dry cloth.
– Please note: Due to the production process of these posters, please allow for slight size deviations with a tolerance +/- 1/16″
🚚 Fulfillment, Shipping, and Return Policy:
– Printed and shipped from the U.S.
– Ships in a sturdy mailing tube, frame not included
– As our items are unique and made to order, we can only accept a return or exchange in the event that an item arrives damaged or misprinted. We cannot accept returns if you order the wrong size or change your mind. Any return requests must be made within 14 days of receiving the order.
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