At the Théâtre de la Renaissance: Sarah Bernhardt in Phèdre
Medium
Photo mechanical reproduction of lithograph on machine wove paper; only state
Dimensions
Sheet: 15 3/8 × 11 13/16 in. (39.1 × 30 cm) Image: 13 7/16 × 9 1/4 in. (34.2 × 23.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1954
Accession Number
54.658.2(7-2)
Tags
Art Historical Context
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's *At the Théâtre de la: Sarah Bernhardt inèdre* (1893) captures the electric energy of Parisian theater during the Belle Époque. This photo mechanical reproduction of a lithograph showcases the legendary actress Sarah Bernhardt in the title role of Jean Racine's tragic play *Phèdre*, a that solidified her status as one of the 19th century's greatest performers. Lautrec, a pioneer of modern poster art, masterfully renders Bernhardt's dramatic intensity through bold lines and expressive forms, typical of his Post-Impressionist style influenced by Japanese prints and th...
About the Artist
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec|L'Escarmouche · 1864–1901
Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Montfa (1864-1901) was a French Post-Impressionist painter, printmaker, and illustrator whose innovative poster designs revolutionized graphic art and advertising in late 19th-century Paris. Born into an aristocratic family at Albi in southern France, Toulouse-Lautrec's privileged lineage traced back to the Counts of Toulouse and extended uninterrupted to th...