Adolphe (The Sad Young Man)
Original title: Adolphe (The Sad Young Man)
kurzbeschreibung
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec made the crayon lithograph Adolphe (The Sad Young Man) in 1894. Printed in olive green on Japan paper, the sheet belongs to the posthumous second edition, which appeared before 1910. It shows a young man in a suit, looking to the left, his upper body slightly leaning forward, in a pensive pose.
Description
A man in a suit, gazing left, his torso slightly forward—so the figure appears in this print. The posture speaks of thought or sadness. The background stays sparse and pushes the sitter forward; no other figures or objects are present. The drawing is plain and precise, with contours standing out. Even light without visible shadows makes the view clear and unified.
Context
The lithograph was made in 1894, during a period when Toulouse-Lautrec was deeply engaged with Parisian nightlife and its characters. That the sheet was printed in a posthumous second edition before 1910 speaks to the continued appreciation after the artist's death in 1901. The print bears watermarks of Gustave Pellet, an important publisher and supporter of Toulouse-Lautrec, as well as of the artist himself.
Impact
The olive-green tint and the reduced arrangement create a calm, inward mood. Clear lines and the spare layout give the portrait a timeless, almost graphic elegance that emphasizes the sitter's melancholic expression.
Technique
Crayon lithograph, printed in olive green on Japan paper. Only one state of the print exists, produced in a posthumous second edition. The technique of direct drawing on the stone allows the precise contours and the even field of color.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)