Elles: Woman Lying on Her Back

Elles: Woman Lying on Her Back, created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1896, is a significant color lithograph from the artist's seminal portfolio Elles. This celebrated series captures unposed moments of intimate daily life among the women working in Parisian brothels, often focusing on their camaraderie, exhaustion, or solitude away from the demanding scrutiny of clients. The title of this piece directly describes the central figure, depicted from a high vantage point, conveying a sense of observational detachment.

As a master of the demanding print medium, Toulouse-Lautrec utilized the color lithograph technique to its fullest potential, employing broad, economical strokes and rich yet muted tones. This approach allowed him to create atmospheric psychological portraits, borrowing visual techniques from Japanese ukiyo-e prints that were highly fashionable in France during the 1890s. The artist’s decision to depict the subject without glamour or judgment marked a radical shift in artistic practice, providing an unflinching document of late 19th-century Parisian culture.

The print portfolio Elles is critical to understanding Toulouse-Lautrec’s oeuvre, cementing his reputation as the foremost chronicler of bohemian and marginalized life in Montmartre. The availability of high-quality prints, intended for wider circulation than traditional oil paintings, ensured the rapid dispersal of his unique style. Today, many reproductions of such key works, particularly prints by French masters of the period, are accessible through cultural institutions dedicated to fostering the public domain. This particular example of Elles: Woman Lying on Her Back is held within the esteemed permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.