The Small Pony from Calmese (Le petit poney de Calmèse)

The Small Pony from Calmese (Le petit poney de Calmèse) is a significant late work by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, executed in 1899. This impressive graphic piece is a lithograph printed in dark brown ink on velin paper. As a quintessential French artist working during the productive period spanning 1876 to 1900, Toulouse-Lautrec was instrumental in demonstrating the aesthetic potential of printmaking, raising it from commercial use to the level of fine art.

Toulouse-Lautrec’s unique approach to the lithographic process allowed him to capture the dynamic essence of his subjects using expressive, sparse line work. While he is most famous for his depictions of Parisian nightlife, dance halls, and performers, his inclusion of less common subjects, such as the animal portrait featured in The Small Pony from Calmese, demonstrates the breadth of his observational talents. The artist frequently embraced observational drawing as a means of documenting the world around him, whether in the urban centers or in more rural scenes suggested by the title.

The deliberate choice of dark brown ink rather than traditional black lends the piece a warmer, more nuanced quality, highlighting the subtleties achievable through the lithographic medium. This classification of prints was highly sought after by collectors in the late 19th century due to the artist’s distinctive, illustrative style which often blurred the line between illustration and high art.

This exceptional example of French graphic art further solidifies Toulouse-Lautrec’s reputation as a master draftsman of the period. The work is held in the esteemed collection of the National Gallery of Art. Due to the historical age and public interest in masterpieces from this era, works like this often become associated with the public domain, facilitating widespread accessibility for study and appreciation.