Mademoiselle Cocyte by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, 1864–1901 is an intimate example of the artist's highly sophisticated graphic output, created just one year before his death in 1901. Executed on ivory wove paper, the work utilizes red and black chalk, a restricted palette that lends the portrait a powerful, immediate character. Lautrec employed stumping, a technique involving careful blending and rubbing of the chalk, to achieve subtle atmospheric effects and soft gradations of tone, defining the subject's form with delicate precision.
The piece, completed in 1900, reflects the artist's consistent focus on individual portraiture and his commitment to capturing the fleeting psychological presence of his subjects. Although categorized as a print, this drawing possesses the immediacy of a preparatory study, highlighting the nimble, observational sketching style that Lautrec cultivated during his long tenure documenting the theater, cafes, and private lives of fin-de-siècle Paris. This mastery of line and tone ensured his lasting legacy as a pivotal figure in modern French graphic arts.
The vibrant, yet controlled, use of the two chalk colors emphasizes the contours of Mademoiselle Cocyte, showcasing Lautrec’s ability to imbue simple materials with profound expressive power. His sketches and prints, drawn from the culture of France, remain highly influential in the history of Post-Impressionism. This distinctive artwork is permanently housed in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, offering crucial insight into the final years of the great French master’s career.
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