Madame Réjane
Original title: Madame Réjane
kurzbeschreibung
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec made this lithograph, Madame Réjane, in 1898. It captures the celebrated French actress in an elegant pose. The print on wove paper measures 47.0 x 32.99 cm.
Description
A woman in elegant attire: a striped top hat, a collared jacket, and a sash. She faces forward, her gaze slightly to the left. Vertical stripes behind her suggest a curtain or similar structure. The palette stays monochrome in various greys, created by the lithograph's shading.
Context
When Toulouse-Lautrec made this portrait in 1898, he was already established in Paris as a leading poster and portrait artist. Madame Réjane, born Gabrielle-Charlotte Réju, was among the well-known stage actresses and enjoyed success in Paris and internationally. Toulouse-Lautrec portrayed her several times, including in lithographs for theater programs and posters.
Impact
The top hat and strict frontality emphasize the sitter's elegant, almost androgynous appearance. The monochrome grey palette gives the sheet a restrained yet present aura that draws attention to the actress's expression and posture.
Technique
This sheet used lithography, a planographic printing process in which a design is drawn on a stone with greasy chalk and then printed. The delicate lines and shadings reveal Toulouse-Lautrec's characteristic stroke, who in the 1890s developed lithography into an independent art form. The paper was wove, used for high-quality prints.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)