Jane Avril, from 'Le Café Concert'
Original title: Jane Avril, from "Le Café Concert"
kurzbeschreibung
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec made this lithograph of the dancer Jane Avril in 1893. The sheet belongs to the deluxe edition and was executed as a brush and spatter lithograph in black ink on japan paper.
Description
A woman is shown mid-dance. Her full, billowing skirt and hat partly obscure her face. Raised arms emphasize the dynamism. Scattered, hard-to-define shapes in the background might be read as decoration or part of the setting. The layout is centrally aligned and brings the dancing figure into focus.
Context
The print was created for the series 'Le Café Concert', with which Toulouse-Lautrec captured Parisian nightlife of the 1890s. Jane Avril, a well-known dancer at the Moulin Rouge, was a frequent subject for the artist. The lithograph appeared in an edition intended for collectors – evidence of the growing appreciation for printmaking in the late 19th century.
Impact
The monochrome execution and the spatter technique give the sheet a lively, almost sketch-like structure that makes movement and energy palpable. Because the palette is reduced, the linework and the figure's expressive posture stand out. The result is an immediate, spontaneous impression.
Technique
Executed as a brush and spatter lithograph in black ink on japan paper, this method allowed Toulouse-Lautrec both fine and expressive lines. The spatter printing creates a lively, irregular surface. Only a single state of the print exists, underscoring the rarity of this edition.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)