Mme Lili Grenier (recto); Landscape with Church (verso)

The double-sided work, Mme Lili Grenier (recto); Landscape with Church (verso), by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901), offers a unique look into the artist's developing practice between 1875 and 1888. The primary image, Mme Lili Grenier, is executed with oil paint supplemented by graphite applied directly to gray cardboard. This combination of mediums, merging the fluid textures of painting with the precision of drawing, is characteristic of Lautrec's early approach to portraiture. The depiction of Mme Grenier, likely a close acquaintance of the artist, focuses on an intimate capture of personality rather than formal presentation, foreshadowing the candid studies for which Toulouse-Lautrec would later become famous.

The reverse side, a Landscape with Church, reveals a looser, perhaps more experimental, study. Here, Toulouse-Lautrec utilized oil paint along with defining touches of black crayon, finishing the piece by varnishing the entire surface for protection. The use of inexpensive gray cardboard as a support, rather than traditional canvas, often points to preparatory work or quick outdoor sketches, reflecting the artistic training common across France during this era. The differing mediums, combined with the contrasting subjects on either side, underscore the period's focus on technical versatility and maximizing costly art materials.

Though often recognized primarily for his later prints and scenes of Parisian nightlife, these earlier pieces demonstrate Toulouse-Lautrec's foundational skill across multiple genres and materials. This dual work, which serves as both a portrait study and a landscape sketch, provides invaluable insight into the evolution of the artist's style. The painting is classified as a significant example of French post-Impressionist practice and is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.