Standing Figure in a Chinese Gown - Theodore Roussel

Gift of Meg and Mark Hausberg

"Standing Figure in a Chinese Gown" by Theodore Roussel (1890–94) Lithographic crayon on fine-grained transfer paper.

Commentary

"Standing Figure in a Chinese Gown" by Theodore Roussel (1890–94) 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 expres sive work. Themes to notice include lithograph. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Theodore Roussel is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Theodore Roussel French, worked in England, 1847-1926. The work is cataloged within a England 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 (Lithographic crayon on fine-grained transfer paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 29 × 18.9 cm (11 7/16 × 7 1/2 in.); Sheet: 32.2 × 24.4 cm (12 11/16 × 9 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/211089

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