The Madman, from Mélodies de Désiré Dihau - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Mr. and Mrs. Carter H. Harrison Collection

"The Madman, from Mélodies de Désiré Dihau" by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1895) Lithograph on ivory wove paper.

Commentary

"The Madman, from Mélodies de Désiré Dihau" by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1895) 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. Themes to notice include lithograph. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, 1864-1901. 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 on ivory wove paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 21 × 13.5 cm (8 5/16 × 5 3/8 in.); Sheet, folded: 35 × 26.9 cm (13 13/16 × 10 5/8 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/67145

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