Portrait of Virginie Cardinal's Favorite, the Actor Crochard (illustration for La Famille Cardinal by Ludovic Halévy)
Original title: Portrait of Virginie Cardinal's Favorite, the Actor Crochard (illustration for La Famille Cardinal by Ludovic Halévy)
kurzbeschreibung
Around 1880 Edgar Degas made this monotype portrait of the actor Crochard. It belongs to a series of illustrations for Ludovic Halévy's story La Famille Cardinal. The image was printed in black ink on laid paper, which was afterwards mounted on cardboard.
Description
A man with short curly hair and a prominent moustache appears before us. He wears a dark shirt with a collar. Nothing but a simple line frames the head to form the background. At the bottom of the sheet the dedication "à toi Crochard" is inscribed. Everything remains in black and white, the light falls evenly and draws attention above all to the facial features.
Context
This sheet came about during a period in which Degas was closely occupied with actors and the world of the theatre. It is one of several illustrations he produced for Ludovic Halévy's La Famille Cardinal. The handwritten dedication "à toi Crochard" suggests a personal relationship between the artist and his sitter. Degas turned to the monotype technique chiefly in the 1870s and 1880s.
Impact
The restrained colour and clear line give the portrait something immediate, almost graphic. Because the background consists of a single line only, the viewer's gaze rests entirely on the sitter's physiognomy. Even light and delicate textures create a calm, collected atmosphere.
Technique
This work is a monotype: black ink is drawn on a plate, from which the motif is then transferred to laid paper. The manual printing process leaves characteristic textures and line patterns. The sheet was mounted on heavy paper, which gives the print greater stability.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)