Portrait de M. X.

Portrait de M. X. is a drypoint print created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1898. Dating from the final years of the artist's brief career, this piece exemplifies his commitment to capturing the distinct personalities and faces of fin-de-siècle Paris. A recognized master of the graphic arts, Toulouse-Lautrec often utilized drypoint etching to achieve the immediate, sharp, and expressive lines necessary for his incisive portraits, capturing the character of the sitter without superfluous detail. This work is classified as a fine art print, reflecting the crucial role of graphic media in French art during the late nineteenth century, providing accessible images of contemporary life.

The drypoint technique involves drawing directly onto a copper plate with a sharp needle, which raises a ridge of metal known as the burr. When inked, this burr holds a rich quantity of ink, resulting in the velvety, slightly blurred line quality often visible in this medium, contrasting sharply with the clean precision of traditional etching. Toulouse-Lautrec was highly skilled at leveraging the nuances of this technique to lend psychological depth to his subjects. While the exact identity of ‘M. X.’ remains unconfirmed, the intimate scale and directness are typical of the artist’s approach to portraiture. This significant example of French graphic art from 1898 resides within the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Today, such important Toulouse-Lautrec prints, created over 125 years ago in France, have become part of the public domain, serving as vital resources for the study of the era.