Charles Maurin

Charles Maurin by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901) is an intimate print created in 1898, capturing the likeness of a fellow artist and contemporary. The work was executed using drypoint, a precise intaglio technique involving scratching an image directly into a zinc plate. This process raises burrs that hold ink, producing soft, characteristically velvety lines distinct from the sharper effects of etching. The artist enhanced the visual delicacy of the impression by printing the image in black ink onto cream laid Japanese paper, a material choice that emphasizes the spontaneity and light touch of the drawing.

The subject, Charles Maurin (1856-1914), was a notable painter and printmaker active within the Symbolist and Post-Impressionist circles, cementing the piece’s significance within the interconnected artistic community of late nineteenth-century France. Toulouse-Lautrec’s acute observational skills are fully deployed here, presenting Maurin in profile with an economy of line that focuses attention wholly on the figure’s intellectual intensity. While he is most famous for his large color lithographs and posters, this portrait demonstrates the artist’s mastery over smaller-scale, psychological portraiture through traditional printmaking techniques.

This work serves as a prime example of the graphic arts produced by Toulouse-Lautrec late in his career. The refined composition and clear execution ensure its place as a significant contribution to fin-de-siècle prints. Today, the piece resides in the esteemed collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. Given the importance of the work and the artist, high-resolution reproductions of this French masterwork are often made available through public domain initiatives, ensuring widespread access to the visual history documented by Toulouse-Lautrec.