Elles (poster for 1896 exhibition at La Plume) (1896, Met-Objekt 905)
Original title: Elles (poster for 1896 exhibition at La Plume)
kurzbeschreibung
In 1896, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec made the poster 'Elles' to announce an exhibition organized by the journal La Plume. It was executed as a four-color lithograph on beige wove paper; the third of three states is preserved here. Stylized female figures appear in the formal vocabulary of Art Nouveau.
Description
A woman in a blue dress with a white bodice dominates the image; she raises her arms and wears an orange hat. To her left, a second woman in a blue hat and a tall top hat appear. The background remains sparse, filled only by a few sketchy strokes. Blue, white, and orange meet the beige tone of the paper. The figures are distributed asymmetrically, their contours flowing and almost abstract.
Context
The print was occasioned by an exhibition of Toulouse-Lautrec's series 'Elles', held in 1896 at the Paris gallery La Plume. That series is devoted to the daily life of prostitutes, while the poster chooses a stylized, idealized version. La Plume was regarded as a renowned art and literary journal and regularly showed work by contemporary artists. Three states of the work are recorded; the present version comes from the poster edition.
Impact
The tension between blue, orange, and the beige of the paper gives the sheet a lively, poster-like presence. Flowing, stylized lines create an elegant, decorative aesthetic characteristic of Art Nouveau. Because much has been omitted, the eye is drawn to the main figure; the result is a calm yet animated effect.
Technique
The sheet was made as a lithograph employing crayon, brush, and spatter techniques. It was printed in four colors on beige wove paper. The spattering produces fine, grainy textures that stand out against the bold areas of color.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)