DOI Heft:
No. 372 (March 1924)
DOI Artikel:Valotaire, Marcel; Grimsditch, Herbert B.: Théophile Alexandre Steinlen
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21399#0145
THEOPHILE ALEXANDRE STEINLEN
perhaps for ever. These things gave him
subjects for some masterly lithographs
and a number of etchings, 000
Besides pure etching, Steinlen experi-
mented with aquatint and soft ground.
He was a painter also ; everyone knows
his picture in the Luxembourg, Masons
regardant passer un Enterrement; and his
animal pictures (of cats in particular), his
still lifes, his portraits, and his landscapes
bear additional witness to his talent. Nor,
even in a rapid survey of his work, must
one omit to mention the charming and
lively little models of cats, cast for him in
cire perdue by Hebrard, examples of which
are now extremely rare. 000
But, to conclude by returning to our
starting point, the essence of Steinlen's
talent is his draughtsmanship, his broad,
sober and profoundly true drawing, which
decants (if the image may be permitted)
the intimate sense of the reality which it
wishes to determine. And the reasons
for his very great measure of success are
that he was always not only among the
most finely endowed from the technical
point of view, but also because he was a
“PAUVRE HfeRE.” ETCH-
ING BY T. A. STEINLEN
(Leicester Galleries)
PEN DRAWING BY T. A, STEINLEN
(By courtesy of Madame Inghelbrecht)
penetrating psychologist, subtle in his
observation of individuals, of the generous
among human characters, and finally
because he was of a noble, generous and
compassionate nature. “ Love,” wrote
his illustrious friend, Anatole France,
“ Love lies at the root of his talent, which
is so full of emotion, so clear-seeing, and
so truthful. Steinlen loves life, humanity,
animals and things ; he loves them with
an ardour at once gentle, austere and deep ;
he is part of Nature and Nature is part of
him. From this arises the tender greatness
of his work • J0 fiJ &
[The head-piece and tail-piece to this article and the
illustrations on p. 126 are from lithographs kindly
lent by Messrs. Helleu and Sergent, Paris.]
127
perhaps for ever. These things gave him
subjects for some masterly lithographs
and a number of etchings, 000
Besides pure etching, Steinlen experi-
mented with aquatint and soft ground.
He was a painter also ; everyone knows
his picture in the Luxembourg, Masons
regardant passer un Enterrement; and his
animal pictures (of cats in particular), his
still lifes, his portraits, and his landscapes
bear additional witness to his talent. Nor,
even in a rapid survey of his work, must
one omit to mention the charming and
lively little models of cats, cast for him in
cire perdue by Hebrard, examples of which
are now extremely rare. 000
But, to conclude by returning to our
starting point, the essence of Steinlen's
talent is his draughtsmanship, his broad,
sober and profoundly true drawing, which
decants (if the image may be permitted)
the intimate sense of the reality which it
wishes to determine. And the reasons
for his very great measure of success are
that he was always not only among the
most finely endowed from the technical
point of view, but also because he was a
“PAUVRE HfeRE.” ETCH-
ING BY T. A. STEINLEN
(Leicester Galleries)
PEN DRAWING BY T. A, STEINLEN
(By courtesy of Madame Inghelbrecht)
penetrating psychologist, subtle in his
observation of individuals, of the generous
among human characters, and finally
because he was of a noble, generous and
compassionate nature. “ Love,” wrote
his illustrious friend, Anatole France,
“ Love lies at the root of his talent, which
is so full of emotion, so clear-seeing, and
so truthful. Steinlen loves life, humanity,
animals and things ; he loves them with
an ardour at once gentle, austere and deep ;
he is part of Nature and Nature is part of
him. From this arises the tender greatness
of his work • J0 fiJ &
[The head-piece and tail-piece to this article and the
illustrations on p. 126 are from lithographs kindly
lent by Messrs. Helleu and Sergent, Paris.]
127