Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901)
View Artist Biography
Title:
Elles- Small
Date:
1950
Size:
9.75" x 12.5"
Medium:
Lithograph
Price:
$275.00
INV. #:
14873
ELLES; artist: Henri Toulouse-Lautrec; size 9.75" x 12.5", printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris; 1951. Lithograph. Archival linen backed and ready to frame.
Four colors: dark green, orange, blue, and red. This print was used as the frontispiece to Toulouse-Lautrec's album of eleven color lithographs, Elles, published in 1896. As the title suggests, the prints provide a glimpse into a private female world. Based primarily in a domestic setting, they are close studies of women engaged in everyday, yet intimate activities such as combing their hair, preparing to bathe and resting in bed, acts that are charged with a mild eroticism. This is reinforced throughout by a sense of voyeurism, as demonstrated in this print, where a woman is viewed from behind as she arranges her hair, seemingly unaware that she is being watched. Scholars continue to debate the significance of the gentleman's top hat, prominently positioned to the left, which could be a subtle reference to the woman's profession.
In 1891, Toulouse-Lautrec decided to investigate the potential of lithography. Working with Pierre Bonnard's lithographer Ancourt, he learned the craft from the bottom up - and within months, brought it to an unprecedented artistic zenith. He managed to cram some 400 lithographs into the remaining ten years of his life, 31 of which were posters, and all of which were the cream of graphic design. His masterpieces define the limits of poster style: where Jules Chéret epitomizes a completely external, impersonal viewpoint, Toulouse-Lautrec is the embodiment of internal, personal vision with a point to make - not, to be sure, a moral judgment, but rather an amused, wry observation on the passing scene.
Once he became immersed in Paris nightlife, entertainers became his primary subject matter, but he was also known to create portraits and caricatures for many of his friends. He skillfully used lines and color to subtly imply background or props for his characters, and these touches incorporated reality with the already present warmth and charm in his posters.
This is a 4 color lithographic reproduction (1950) of Lautrec's 1896 design. This lithograph was made for the cover of the album ELLES, and the words in red were reprinted across it, to announce the exhibition of these lithographs at La Plume. There were 11 lithographs in this series (originally released in 1896) that portrayed kept women- hence the vague name "Elles" which is the feminine plural form of she in the French language. It would have been improper to simply name the series "Prostitutes."
Archival matted.
Four colors: dark green, orange, blue, and red. This print was used as the frontispiece to Toulouse-Lautrec's album of eleven color lithographs, Elles, published in 1896. As the title suggests, the prints provide a glimpse into a private female world. Based primarily in a domestic setting, they are close studies of women engaged in everyday, yet intimate activities such as combing their hair, preparing to bathe and resting in bed, acts that are charged with a mild eroticism. This is reinforced throughout by a sense of voyeurism, as demonstrated in this print, where a woman is viewed from behind as she arranges her hair, seemingly unaware that she is being watched. Scholars continue to debate the significance of the gentleman's top hat, prominently positioned to the left, which could be a subtle reference to the woman's profession.
In 1891, Toulouse-Lautrec decided to investigate the potential of lithography. Working with Pierre Bonnard's lithographer Ancourt, he learned the craft from the bottom up - and within months, brought it to an unprecedented artistic zenith. He managed to cram some 400 lithographs into the remaining ten years of his life, 31 of which were posters, and all of which were the cream of graphic design. His masterpieces define the limits of poster style: where Jules Chéret epitomizes a completely external, impersonal viewpoint, Toulouse-Lautrec is the embodiment of internal, personal vision with a point to make - not, to be sure, a moral judgment, but rather an amused, wry observation on the passing scene.
Once he became immersed in Paris nightlife, entertainers became his primary subject matter, but he was also known to create portraits and caricatures for many of his friends. He skillfully used lines and color to subtly imply background or props for his characters, and these touches incorporated reality with the already present warmth and charm in his posters.
This is a 4 color lithographic reproduction (1950) of Lautrec's 1896 design. This lithograph was made for the cover of the album ELLES, and the words in red were reprinted across it, to announce the exhibition of these lithographs at La Plume. There were 11 lithographs in this series (originally released in 1896) that portrayed kept women- hence the vague name "Elles" which is the feminine plural form of she in the French language. It would have been improper to simply name the series "Prostitutes."
Archival matted.