La Muse malade
c. 1900
Medium
lithograph in brown on light brown wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 25 x 27.5 cm (9 13/16 x 10 13/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of The Atlas Foundation
Accession Number
1995.76.89
Art Historical Context
**La Muse malade (The Sick Muse)**, created around 1900 by French artist Louis Abel-Truchet, captures the introspective spirit of the Bellepoque. Abel-Truchet, a versatile painter and printmaker known for his vibrant posters and illustrations, often blended post-Impressionist influences with decorative flair. This intimate lithograph, rendered in subtle brown ink on light brown wove (25 x 27.5 cm), evokes a mood of quiet melancholy, its monochromatic palette enhancing the theme of a languishing muse—symbolizing artistic inspiration in repose. Lithography, a key technique of the era, allowed a...