Actually I went to the MOMA to see the Sigmar Polke exhibition in the context of research for the OCA watercolour course, and barely made it there on the exhibition’s last day. While I found that exhibition not very inspiring, afterwards I took the opportunity to go to the Toulouse-Lautrec gallery, which presented “The paris of Toulouse-Lautrec: Prints and Posters”.
I learnt that Henry de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901) had been known well for the posters he made of Paris nightlife at the end of the 19th century. I was surprised because I knew some drawings and paintings but hadn’t realized the bohemian context. I also hadn’t been aware that he made so many lithographic prints.
Unfortunately I had no prior knowledge about lithography so was rather unprepared what to look out for, but on the other hand I appreciated the situation of no preconceptions. I noticed the variability of line – different thicknesses and different tones. I found the black and white stone lithographic prints very different from other techniques I knew, for example dry-point etching or relief techniques. The posters looked like colorized drawings, but the lithographic process made them appear more massive.
To my regret taking pictures was not allowed and I did not make notes on the lithos I saw. But the MOMA has quite an extensive collection available online, so I am including some prints here just as a reminder.
– At the Moulin Rouge: Rugged! Really Rugged! (Au Moulin Rouge: Un Rude! Un vrai Rude!) 1893
– A Gala Evening at the Moulin Rouge (Une Redoute au Moulin Rouge) 1893
– Jane Avril (1893)
– The Clowness at the Moulin Rouge (La Clownesse au Moulin Rouge) (1897)
What I found very interesting and characteristic for Toulouse-Lautrec were the wiggly lines with which he drew, and how they reappeared in his prints. My favourite print in the exhibition was “The Jockey” (1899). I loved how the horses with their jockeys were depicted from behind, as if they had just passed by in extreme hurry.
I found the litho prints visually quite different from the monotypes on which I had focused during part 1 of the printmaking course. The technique seemed to permit more control over the outcome, and the resulting prints were much more like coloured drawings, compared to the painterly character of monotypes. But I thought this might encourage me to work more freely with line and texturing the inked plate, either directly or using backdrawing.
References
MOMA exhibition site: http://www.moma.org/visit/calendar/exhibitions/1493
MOMA online collection of works by Toulouse-Lautrec: http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A5910&template_id=10&sort_order=1&results_per_page=80&page_number=1
Review article in the NY times: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/15/arts/design/toulouse-lautrecs-groundbreaking-prints-at-moma.html?_r=0