Au Lit 1897 - 1898

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec made this print, “Au Lit,” with lithographic crayon and spatter. It is rendered in delicate shades of gray. Lautrec was fascinated by the lives of ordinary people. Here, he gives us a glimpse into a private moment. The seemingly casual drawing style is deceptive. Lithography, the printing process used to make this, required skilled labor and specialized equipment. The artist would have drawn directly onto a stone or metal plate with a greasy crayon. The plate was then treated with chemicals to make the image receptive to ink, and finally printed onto paper. The image is light and airy because of the spattering process that gives a sense of movement, as if we’ve caught this scene fleetingly. The immediacy and intimate nature of this print blurs the boundaries between fine art and the everyday. It reminds us that even the most mundane subjects can be elevated through skill and attention to materials.