Tristan Bernard

Tristan Bernard is an influential 1898 drypoint print executed by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. This celebrated portrait, featuring the famous French dramatist and novelist, showcases Toulouse-Lautrec’s characteristic mastery of intaglio techniques and his keen observation of late 19th-century Parisian figures. Drypoint, a specialized printmaking method, involves scratching directly into a metal plate with a needle, raising a unique burr that holds ink. This process often results in rich, velvety, and soft lines, distinguishing this classification of prints from traditional etching.

The subject, Tristan Bernard (1866-1947), was a central personality in the artistic and literary circles of the Belle Époque, widely known for his witty comedies and contributions to modern French theater. In this intimate portrait of the man, Lautrec eschews elaborate settings, focusing instead on the intellectual presence and character of the sitter. The work is defined by its expressive line work and minimal shading, typical of the artist's fast, reportorial style used to capture his contemporaries. This approach elevates the sketch-like quality of the drypoint, highlighting Bernard’s distinctive profile and reflecting the era’s focus on personality studies.

As a definitive example of Toulouse-Lautrec's mature graphic output, the piece is classified as a significant historical print. It currently resides in the esteemed collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York, where it contributes to the museum’s comprehensive holdings of Post-Impressionist works. While capturing a specific moment in 1898 French culture, the work remains widely accessible; high-quality digital copies of these historic prints are often available in the public domain, allowing students and enthusiasts worldwide to study the distinctive technique and subject matter of this iconic master.