"Yvette Guilbert," created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1894, is a significant example of French graphic art produced during the flourishing period of 1876 to 1900. This piece is a lithograph executed specifically in olive green ink, highlighting the artist's inventive use of limited color palettes within the print medium.
Toulouse-Lautrec was renowned for capturing the vibrant, often cynical, energy of Parisian nightlife and the personalities who defined it. Yvette Guilbert (1865-1944), the famed cabaret singer and actress, was one of his most iconic and important recurring subjects. She was instantly recognizable by her tall stature, distinctively thin figure, and signature long black gloves, attributes that Toulouse-Lautrec often exaggerated or used as central compositional elements in his designs. The choice of the lithographic process allowed the artist to create widely distributed images of his subjects, blurring the line between intimate portraiture and commercial advertisement.
As a master of printmaking, Toulouse-Lautrec utilized the lithograph to achieve the expressive outlines and flattened planes characteristic of his style, often influenced by Japanese ukiyo-e prints. The singular color palette, employing olive green, lends the work a distinctive and focused atmosphere, moving away from the polychromy common in standard advertising posters of the era. The technique highlights the dramatic silhouette and gestural movement, crucial aspects of Guilbert’s commanding stage persona.
This powerful portrait represents Toulouse-Lautrec’s sophisticated understanding of character and modern celebrity during the late 19th century. As a key example of French prints from this innovative era, the work demonstrates the artist's pioneering approach to graphic design and his crucial role in modern visual culture. Today, this impression of Yvette Guilbert resides in the esteemed collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Its age places it securely within the sphere of public domain artworks available for advanced research and study.
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