A Cemetery in Galicia (Un cimetière en Galicie)

A Cemetery in Galicia (Un cimetière en Galicie) is a powerful lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1897, and subsequently published in 1898. As a master of Post-Impressionist French art, Toulouse-Lautrec used the medium of printmaking to explore a diverse range of subjects, often focusing on the transient and the desolate. This particular work, classified as a print, demonstrates the artist’s skill in harnessing the subtle textures and rich blacks achievable through lithography, moving beyond his more famous, colorful posters into deeply atmospheric narrative scenes.

The subject matter depicts a stark, somber cemetery landscape, contrasting sharply with the spirited depictions of Parisian nightlife that characterized much of Toulouse-Lautrec’s celebrated output. The scene, likely drawn from his travels or contemporary reports regarding the political turmoil in the Eastern European region of Galicia, is dominated by uneven rows of crosses and grave markers rendered with a loose, immediate quality. The composition employs a dark palette that enhances the feeling of melancholy and neglect, suggesting themes of mortality and isolation rather than urban activity. Toulouse-Lautrec’s decision to execute this study as a lithograph allowed him to preserve the spontaneity of a quick sketch while still achieving significant dramatic depth through carefully modulated shading.

The creation of the lithograph in 1897, published 1898, confirms Toulouse-Lautrec's status as a graphic innovator, pushing the boundaries of what the print medium could convey. This French work is an essential document of the artist's later, more introspective period. Today, this notable example of graphic art resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Due to the historical nature and institutional ownership of this masterwork, high-quality images of the prints are frequently made available for study and research, often entering the public domain.