La Bagnole 

Curator: Théophile Alexandre Steinlen's lithograph, possibly titled "La Bagnole," captures a bustling Parisian street scene with vendors and shoppers. My immediate sense is one of dynamic energy contained within the print's careful lines and selective use of color. Editor: The materiality speaks volumes here. The roughness of the lithographic stone itself imparts a textural quality that undermines any attempt at an illusionistic depth of field. Note, too, how Steinlen uses a utilitarian medium to capture a scene of working class labour. Curator: Precisely. Notice the composition. The figures are carefully arranged to lead the eye through the marketplace. The sketch-like quality suggests immediacy, an unmediated glimpse into daily Parisian life, yet the underlying structure betrays a conscious artistic intent. Observe how the geometric rigour of the architecture in the background gives a sense of place. Editor: I’m drawn to the representation of work, the butchering itself, and how the lithographic print as a multiple democratizes access to depictions of labour usually absent in elite fine art practices. Do you think the choice of printmaking democratizes the depiction of Parisian life? Curator: It’s a point well taken. However, the aesthetic choices remain paramount. Look at the flattening of perspective, the interplay of positive and negative space—formal elements that contribute to the print's overall impact, almost eclipsing its narrative content. The reduction of form verges on Fauvism. Editor: But consider how prints are disseminated – sold on the street or reproduced in magazines – giving voice and visibility to subjects considered marginal. What about that content? What about the people who appear in the image? It creates visibility and challenges established hierarchies. Curator: I concede the point that access is central to the democratization, and, as such, also appreciate your highlighting Steinlen’s representation of a world rapidly becoming. This lithograph contains, after all, so many interesting features that draw us to it! Editor: Indeed. The image provides not only an insight into commerce but a glimpse into labor—how printing presses allowed images of the modern worker to become far more visible. I’m grateful for having had the chance to view the market scene, here rendered as it is.