Jane Avril, from Le Café Concert””

Description

Jane Avril dances in a curved, expressive pose, her flaring skirt and lifted legs giving the figure a buoyant silhouette. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec concentrates the image from Le Café Concert on movement rather than an elaborate stage setting. The economical dark contour makes the named performer immediately distinct, allowing costume and bodily direction to carry the energy of the encounter.

The 1893 lithograph uses brush and spatter in black ink on laid Japan paper. The dark marks give the moving figure a clear rhythm, while the flared garment enlarges her presence without a densely furnished backdrop. Toulouse-Lautrec makes a theatrical instant feel suspended, concentrating the dancer’s energy into the curve of the body and the space opened by its movement.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec collection.