1901
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Help! My cutlet's being stolen! is a 1901 by Félix Vallotton, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A cat arches its back, claws out, as a rat drags a breaded cutlet across the floor. The kitchen is dark, lit only by a sliver of light from a half-open door. Vallotton made this as a woodcut for a satirical magazine. The sharp black-and-white lines turn a simple theft into a tiny drama. It’s part of a series that poked fun at everyday “crimes” with a dry, almost cartoonish edge. If you like this kind of wry humor, look up *chiaroscuro*—the way light and shadow create tension in prints like this.
This print was published in the magazine L’Assiette au Beurre (March 1, 1902 ) as plate 20 from the series Crimes and Punishments .
Read the full account in the museum source.
Félix Édouard Vallotton (French: ; December 28, 1865 – December 29, 1925) was a Swiss and French painter and printmaker associated with the group of artists known as Les Nabis.
See the richer artist page
