What the Rain Says - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Mr. and Mrs. Carter H. Harrison Collection

"What the Rain Says" by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1895) Lithograph on cream wove paper.

Commentary

"What the Rain Says" 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 expressiv e 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 cream wove paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 16.6 × 18.8 cm (6 9/16 × 7 7/16 in.); Sheet: 38.2 × 28.1 cm (15 1/16 × 11 1/8 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/63589

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