Program for The Sunken Bell (La Cloche engloutie) from The Beraldi Album of Theatre Programs

Paul Ranson was a French painter and printmaker active in the Symbolist movement during the late 19th century. Working primarily in oil and lithography, he developed a distinctive decorative approach to interior design and mural work that bridged fine art and applied craft. His practice encompassed painting, textile design, and woodblock prints, often employing flattened perspectival space and rhythmic patterning influenced by Japanese aesthetics and Art Nouveau sensibilities. Ranson co-founded the Nabis group in Paris, a collective devoted to synthesizing decorative and fine art practices.