Portrait of Auguste Raffet - Auguste Bry

Albert Roullier Memorial Collection

"Portrait of Auguste Raffet" by Auguste Bry (1839) Lithograph in black on ivory China paper, laid down on white wove paper.

Commentary

"Portrait of Auguste Raffet" by Auguste Bry (1839) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. The mes to notice include lithograph. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Auguste Bry is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Auguste Bry French, 19th century. The work is cataloged within a France cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as lithograph, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Lithograph in black on ivory China paper, laid down on white wove paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Primary support: 20.5 × 18 cm (8 1/8 × 7 1/8 in.); Secondary support: 35.8 × 27.5 cm (14 1/8 × 10 7/8 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include lithograph. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/56100

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