Lugné-Poé and Bady, in "Au-Dessus des Forces Humaines"

Lugné-Poé and Bady, in "Au-Dessus des Forces Humaines" is a significant lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901) in 1894. This fine example of late 19th-century French printmaking was executed on cream wove paper. Toulouse-Lautrec, renowned for his penetrating observations of Parisian theater and café-concert nightlife, frequently used the accessible medium of the print to capture his subjects with immediate, graphic impact.

The work captures the celebrated actors Lugné-Poé and Bady, performing in a production likely associated with the avant-garde Théâtre de l’Œuvre. This influential venue championed Symbolist and experimental drama in France during this period. The composition reflects Toulouse-Lautrec's characteristic style-a sharp focus on psychological expression and simplified, yet dynamic, lines typical of the best examples among his vast output of prints. His dedication to documenting the fleeting moments of the theatrical world provides essential insight into the cultural dynamism of fin-de-siècle Paris.

As a high-quality classification of print, this 1894 lithograph is exemplary of how Toulouse-Lautrec utilized commercial printmaking techniques to produce fine art. The composition effectively balances large areas of dark shading with the bright, untouched tone of the cream wove paper, emphasizing the dramatic tension inherent in the stage performance. This piece, Lugné-Poé and Bady, in Au-Dessus des Forces Humaines, remains a key representation of the artist's career and is housed within the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.