The Chair ("That shadow that lies floating on the floor..."), from The Raven (Le Corbeau) - Édouard Manet

Prints and Drawings Purchase Fund

"The Chair ("That shadow that lies floating on the floor..."), from The Raven (Le Corbeau)" by Édouard Manet (1875) Transfer lithograph in black on gray China paper.

Commentary

"The Chair ("That shadow that lies floating on the floor..."), from The Raven (Le Corbeau)" by Édouard Manet (1875) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do mos t of the expressive work. Themes to notice include relief etching. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Édouard Manet is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Édouard Manet (French, 1832-1883) written by Edgar Allan Poe (American, 1809-1849) translated and produced by Stéphane Mallarmé (French, 1842-1898) printed by Lefman et Cie. The work is cataloged within a France cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as relief etching, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Transfer lithograph in black on gray China paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 29.9 × 27.9 cm (11 13/16 × 11 in.); Sheet: 54.9 × 39 cm (21 5/8 × 15 3/8 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include relief etching. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/111367

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data