Odette Dulac 1903

Here we see Leonetto Cappiello working with lithographic techniques in his poster design, “Odette Dulac”. The dark blue almost feels like a velvety void, slashed by strokes which illuminate Odette, her red hair popping against the background. The lithographic process allows for flat areas of color, but the brushstrokes here suggest that Cappiello is interested in a painterly effect. I can imagine him working on the stone, the scratching and etching away, building up the image through layers, a dance between control and chance. I wonder if Cappiello saw himself in conversation with other artists, perhaps with Toulouse-Lautrec? It feels like he’s exploring similar themes of performance and image. There is a conversational exchange of ideas across time. Each artwork is a new interpretation, each artist picks up the brush and begins again, inspired by those who came before. It’s this ambiguity and uncertainty that makes art so endlessly compelling to me.