Marie-Louise Marsy
Original title: Marie-Louise Marsy
kurzbeschreibung
In 1898, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec portrayed the young Marie-Louise Marsy. The lithograph on paper presents her facing forward, her gaze lifted slightly upward. Here the artist captures character and presence with economical means.
Description
The woman looks directly at the viewer, head slightly raised; short wavy hair frames her face. A blouse with a striking collar draws attention to her features. The plain dark background makes the figure stand out clearly. Grays dominate the lithograph, with subtle gradations evenly modeling the face. Visible strokes and brush marks give texture to fabric and facial contours.
Context
This portrait dates from 1898, when Toulouse-Lautrec was best known for his scenes of Parisian nightlife. Marie-Louise Marsy was an actress at Paris theaters. In this phase, Lautrec increasingly turned to portraits of fellow artists and stage personalities. Lithography served him as a preferred means to circulate his work and reach a wider audience.
Impact
The frontal pose and direct, slightly elevated gaze create immediacy and presence. The restriction to grays and the dark background produce an intimate, concentrated mood. The visible traces of drawing lend the image a lively, sketch-like quality and let the viewer take part in the creative process.
Technique
For this print, Toulouse-Lautrec chose lithography, in which the drawing is applied to a stone or plate and then transferred to paper. With this method he achieved fine shadings and textures, such as those seen in the grays of the face. The dimensions of 39 x 31.6 cm match his prints from that time.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)