Skating, from Le Rire, No. 62, 11 January 1896
Original title: Skating, from Le Rire, No. 62, 11 January 1896
kurzbeschreibung
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's lithograph "Ice Skating," made in 1896, offers a playful view of an ice rink. Created for the satirical magazine Le Rire, it captures a crowd on the ice, with the interaction between two men in the foreground drawing the eye.
Description
In front, a gentleman in a red suit and black top hat turns to another man in a brown suit and white top hat. The red-haired man holds a glass, and beside him a lady in a brown dress looks at him. Further back, others are playing ice hockey. The caricatural style, pastel tones, and soft light define the image.
Context
For the Parisian satirical magazine Le Rire, founded in 1894 and filled with humorous illustrations on current topics, Toulouse-Lautrec created this lithograph. Issue no. 62 from January 11, 1896, takes up a typical Belle Époque leisure activity. In the 1890s, ice skating was a popular social sport in Paris, practiced in ice palaces like the "Palais de Glace." Lautrec, who often worked for magazines, portrayed the fashionable crowd at such venues.
Impact
The print feels light and amusing thanks to its caricatural approach and pastel palette. The dynamic layout directs attention to the interaction of the two men, whose elegant clothing contrasts with the athletic setting. Diffuse light bathes the scene in an intimate, almost theatrical mood.
Technique
For this lithograph, ink or chalk was applied to a stone and then printed on paper. The coloration matches Lautrec's posters and prints, for which he often used a limited palette with flat areas of color. The dimensions of the print are 25 × 22 cm (image) on a sheet of 42 × 31.5 cm.
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Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)