Le Premier Quartier (First Quarter)
1901
Medium
lithograph on wove paper
Dimensions
image: 60.01 × 24.13 cm (23 5/8 × 9 1/2 in.) sheet: 67.95 × 31.12 cm (26 3/4 × 12 1/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of John Harvey Schlichte Bergen
Accession Number
2014.46.1
Art Historical Context
Henri Rivière's *Le Premier Quartier (First Quarter)*, created in 1901, captures the delicate glow of the moon's first quarter phase in a masterful lithograph on wove paper Measuring nearly 24 by 9.5 inches for the image alone, this print exemplifies Rivière's skill as a French printmaker active during the Belle Époque. resident of Montmartre, drew inspiration from the nocturnal skies over Paris, blending everyday urban vistas with poetic luminosity. Lithography, Rivière's preferred medium, allowed for subtle tonal gradations and vibrant colors through multiple stones—a technique he perfected...
About the Artist
Henri Rivière
Henri Rivière (1864-1951) stands as a pioneering figure in European printmaking, particularly recognized as the father of color lithography and color woodcut techniques in the West. Born in Paris during the Second Empire, Rivière achieved distinction in two distinct artistic realms: as the creator of innovative shadow theater performances at the legendary Chat Noir cabaret, and as a printmaker who...