At the Curtain (Au rideau)

Description

A theater interior unfolds in faint, intricate marks in Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s At the Curtain. A large woman occupies the left, with figures beside the curtain at the right and a framed, portrait-like shape near the center. The varied forms make the scene a place of neighboring presences, allowing the stage’s edge to suggest activity beyond the immediate view.

Made in 1895, the lithograph combines crayon, brush and spatter and is printed in two colors on wove paper. Edward Ancourt printed the work, which was published by André Marty. Its material variety offers another way to encounter the theatrical subject, joining different drawn textures within one concise image. Toulouse-Lautrec gives the stage’s edge its own human character, allowing a modest setting to suggest a larger world of activity extending beyond the immediate view.