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Description:
- with countersignature & note "4/26"- lithography on thick paper
- printed by Imprimerie Lapina, Paris
- 72 * 103 cm
Théophile Alexandre Steinlen was born in Switzerland, wherehe studied art at Lausanne and later became active as a textiledesigner in Mulhause. In 1882 he arrived in Paris where he workedas an illustrator for the journals Mirliton, Assiette au Beurre,Chat Noir, and Gil Blas, for which he produced over four hundredlithographs.
As an artist he was not merely a commercial success but showedgreat sensitivity toward his subject matter. Besides illustratingadvertisements for a variety of products, Steinlen was famous forhis posters of cabaret and music hall performers. Perhaps the mostnoteworthy of these is one done for the French singer YvetteGuilbert''s performances at the cabaret Les Ambassadeurs, executedin 1894. Guilbert preferred Steinlen''s posters to another famousversion, done by Toulouse-Lautrec, in which the artistdistorted her features and figure, making her appear thin and bonyto the point of freakishness.
The two artists are often compared, although Steinlen''s posterart, drawn with the same bold simplicity asLautrec''s, is marked byan air of sweetness and a quieter mood. However, his later work forthe journals, like that of Lautrec, became increasinglysatirical and critical of society. Steinlen, too, often drew genrescenes of the working class, capturing day-to-day life in Pariswith a simple, endearing style. He was very found of animals,especially cats, and often included them in his posters.Steinlen''s cats proved so popular, in fact, that they became atrademark of his work.
rare original poster (Steinlen, 1915)
