Artwork
L'Echelle; Le Balcon
L'Echelle; Le Balcon is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Alfredo Müller. It dates from 1898 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:across top printed: L'OEUVRE / RUE TURGOT, 22 / SAISON 1897-1898; across bottom printed: L'ÉCHELLE LE BALCON / Trois actes de M. GUSTAVE VANZYPE Trois actes de M. GUNNAR HEIBERG / (Traduction de COMTE PROZOR); along left side printed: Editions spéciales des programmes artistiques de l'Art et la Scène (5, rue de Rougemont).
About this work
Overview
Created in 1898, L'Echelle; Le Balcon is a lithographic print executed in black and a single green hue on light‑brown wove paper.
Created in 1898, L'Echelle; Le Balcon is a lithographic print executed in black and a single green hue on light‑brown wove paper. The work functions as a theatrical poster, announcing two productions and listing the principal actors. Its composition centers on a woman in a dark coat, seen from behind as she leans on a balcony railing, while a dimly lit table with a lamp and assorted objects occupies the foreground.
Subject & Meaning
The figure on the balcony suggests a moment of anticipation or observation, perhaps echoing the suspense inherent in the advertised plays. The green curtain framing the scene provides a visual boundary that separates the interior space from the surrounding darkness, reinforcing the theatrical atmosphere and inviting viewers to imagine the narrative unfolding beyond the printed surface.
Technique & Style
Müller employed traditional lithographic processes, drawing directly onto a stone or metal plate with greasy media before transferring the image onto paper. The limited palette, bold black lines contrasted by a solitary green area, creates a stark visual impact, while the use of light‑brown wove paper adds a warm, textured background that softens the overall tonal scheme.
History & Provenance
Alfredo Müller, a Swiss‑born artist who worked in Italy and France, produced the print during his involvement with the Post‑Macchiaioli circle, though his training came from Florentine portraitist Michele Gordigiani. His connections with French printmakers such as Théophile Steinlen and Eugène Delâtre situate the work within the vibrant cross‑national printmaking networks of the late nineteenth century.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Alfredo Müller was a Franco-Italian painter and printmaker of Swiss nationality. As a painter from Livorno, he might have belonged to the group of the Postmacchiaioli, together with Mario Puccini, Oscar Ghiglia, Plinio…
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