Lucien Guitry
Original title: Lucien Guitry
kurzbeschreibung
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec portrayed the actor Lucien Guitry in 1898 with a crayon lithograph on china paper. The half-profile head, with its distinctive features and clothing, forms the central subject of the print.
Description
Guitry appears in half-profile, his gaze turned slightly to the left. His strong nose and thick, wavy hair stand out. He wears a jacket with a collar and a shirt collar beneath. Behind him, a blurred, abstract structure hints at a window or pattern. The drawing remains in grayscale; lines and shading define contours and textures.
Context
The portrait dates from 1898, when Toulouse-Lautrec often depicted artists and figures from Parisian nightlife. Lucien Guitry was a well-known French actor and theater director who performed in Paris during the 1890s. This lithograph belongs to a series of artist portraits Lautrec made for various publications and collections.
Impact
The precise lines and emphasized facial features give the portrait expressiveness and vitality. The monochrome grayscale creates a calm, focused mood that brings out the sitter's personality.
Technique
Executed as a crayon lithograph on china paper, a fine, smooth printing support. In this process, greasy crayon is applied to the stone to transfer the drawing; this yields fine lines and soft shading typical of Lautrec's style.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)