Elles: Frontispiece
1896
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1896
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
This painting shows a woman in a plain white apron standing against a dark wall. She looks tired, her arms hanging loose at her sides. The room behind her is bare except for a small window letting in a little light. Lautrec made these prints to show everyday life in brothels. He wanted to paint the women as real people, not glamorous figures. The set sold poorly at first because it felt too honest. See how the light falls just right on her face? Look up Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864–1901).
