Marie-Louise Marsy from Portraits of Actors and Actresses: Thirteen Lithographs (Portraits d'Acteurs & Actrices: Treize Lithographies) is a significant French print by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, created in 1898. This specific work is one of thirteen lithographs comprising a specialized portfolio dedicated entirely to the celebrated actors and actresses of fin de siècle Parisian theater. Toulouse-Lautrec was renowned for his sophisticated technical command of lithography, utilizing the medium not merely for reproduction but as an expressive artistic tool.
The portrait captures Marie-Louise Marsy, a prominent actress of the prestigious Comédie-Française. The artist’s application of the printing technique allows him to achieve varied tonalities and textural effects, capturing Marsy's distinct public persona with the directness characteristic of his highly influential graphic style. Toulouse-Lautrec focuses on economical line work and psychological insight, avoiding the idealized representations favored by traditional portraiture.
Created in 1898, this piece exemplifies the artist’s late-career interest in documenting the performers and personalities who populated the public sphere. The French art scene at this time saw a massive expansion in the production of prints, making lithography an ideal vehicle for capturing the ephemeral nature of contemporary celebrity and theater life.
The complete portfolio, Portraits d’Acteurs & Actrices, stands as a crucial visual record of the era, cementing Toulouse-Lautrec’s legacy as the foremost chronicler of modern urban entertainment. This particular impression of the lithograph resides in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, underscoring its art historical importance as a quintessential example of the artist's focused graphic output. The ongoing preservation of these historical prints ensures accessibility to the intimate observations of this master draftsman.
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