Under the Lamp ("Once upon a midnight dreary..."), from The Raven (Le Corbeau) - Édouard Manet

Gift of Dorothy Braude Edinburg in memory of Bessie Kisloff Braude, Esq.

"Under the Lamp ("Once upon a midnight dreary..."), from The Raven (Le Corbeau)" by Édouard Manet (1875) Transfer lithograph in black on cream laid paper.

Commentary

"Under the Lamp ("Once upon a midnight dreary..."), 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 most of the expressive work. Themes to notice include lithograph. 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 lithograph, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Transfer lithograph in black on cream laid paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 27.3 × 38 cm (10 3/4 × 15 in.); Sheet: 36 × 54.8 cm (14 3/16 × 21 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/234968

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