Gueules Noires: the mining lithographs of Theophile Alexandre Steinlen

Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen (1859-1923) is celebrated for his posters for the Chat Noir nightclub, and his lithographs of languid ladies with cats. But he also had a strong social conscience, and in this post I want to look at his powerful images of working men, and in particular his lithographs for the novel Les Gueules Noires (The Miners, literally The Black Mouths or Black Faces) by Emile Morel. This novel is a kind of companion piece to the more famous Germinal by Steinlen's friend Emile Zola. It was published in 1907 by E. Sansot, with 16 lithographs by Steinlen printed by Eug�ne Vernan. The ordinary edition on wove paper has no limitation, though it is not common. In addition to this trade edition there were 25 copies on Japon Imp�rial and 5 copies on Chine; these numbered copies have the lithographs in two states, in black as in the regular edition and in sanguine. I have no. 10 of the 25 copies on Japon. Here are the paper wraps, in both states:

Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, La Sortie de la mine (Crauzat 269)
Lithograph, 1907


Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, La Sortie de la mine (Crauzat 269)
Lithograph, 1907 (sanguine version, without lettering)


As this was the cover of the book, inevitably there are folds either side of the spine, and this image is particularly vulnerable to damage and paper loss. There exists an unfolded poster incorporating the cover lithograph, a lovely thing that can be seen in this post at Livrenblog. There are visual similarities with an earlier lithograph, Ouvriers sortant de l'usine:


Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, Ouvriers sortant de l'usine (Crauzat 254)
Lithograph, 1903

These two lithographs alone show a powerful empathy with the industrial workforce that was rare among artists and art-lovers at this time. Although the Impressionists incorporated factory chimneys into their landscapes, their figure studies and interiors reflect the life of the well-to-do, not the poor. Vincent van Gogh, of course, plunged himself with heroic compassion into the lives of the mining families of Belgium, and Frank Brangwyn (about whom I'll post at some future date) was making similar studies of factory workers at the same time as Steinlen. Steinlen's friendship with Zola, and his position as a regular contributor to the left-leaning satirical journals Le Rire and L'Assiette au Beurre, mark him as someone who regarded art as an instrument of social change as well a means of personal expression. There is something quite haunting to me about the hunched and desperate figures in the lithographs for Les Gueules Noires, and the grim attention that Steinlen pays to the tiny details of their daily lives. Here are the fifteen single-page lithographs, alternately in sanguine and black:

Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, La Descente (Crauzat 270)
Lithograph, 1907

Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, Le Mouilleur (Crauzat 271)
Lithograph, 1907

Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, La Paye (Crauzat 272)
Lithograph, 1907


Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, Idylle (Crauzat 273)
Lithograph, 1907

Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, Les Trieuses
Lithograph, 1907
(N.B. Crauzat left this lithograph out of his catalogue raisonn� by mistake, presumably misled by the fact that the cover claims a total of 15 lithographs when there are actually 16; hence the title for this lithograph is mine, and I suggest a catalogue number of Crauzat 273a)

Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, Solitude (Crauzat 274)
Lithograph, 1907

Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, L'Train des Gueules Noires (Crauzat 275)
Lithograph, 1907

Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, Le Marchand de gaufres (Crauzat 276)
Lithograph, 1907

Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, Combat des coqs (Crauzat 277)
Lithograph, 1907

Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, Bapt�me (Crauzat 278)
Lithograph, 1907
(Crauzat 279 is a redrawn version of this subject for a subsequent edition)

Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, Le Directeur (Crauzat 280)
Lithograph, 1907
(Crauzat 281 is a redrawn version of this subject for a subsequent edition)

Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, La Catastrophe (Crauzat 282)
Lithograph, 1907

Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, La Reconnaissance (Crauzat 283)
Lithograph, 1907

 Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, L'enterrement (Crauzat 284)
Lithograph, 1907

Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, La Veill�e (Crauzat 285)
Lithograph, 1907

My final image must be one of the last created by Steinlen, who died on 14 December 1923 at the age of 64; it shows his continuing commitment to recording the plight of the poor and downtrodden.

Th�ophile-Alexandre Steinlen, Le Vagabond
Etching, published posthumously in 1924

 Ernest de Crauzat (who compiled the catalogue raisonn� of his prints) concluded a tribute to Steinlen published in Byblis in 1927 with the simple words, "Steinlen ne quittera plus jamais Montmartre": Steinlen will never again leave Montmartre.

Popular posts from this blog

A Vision of the End: Simon Segal's Apocalypse

Image
The Book of Revelation (L'Apocalypse selon Saint Jean) is almost too rich in imagery for artistic interpretation, which hasn't stopped artists from trying! One very satisfying version is that published in 1969 by Simon S�gal. This project about the end of the world was undertaken at the end of S�gal's life. He was born into a Jewish family in Bialystok, Poland (then part of the Russian Empire, so it is a moot point whether S�gal should be regarded as having Polish or Russian origin) in 1898. After WWI, S�gal emigrated to Berlin, moving to France in 1926 and becoming a naturalized French citizen in 1949. L'Apocalypse: The Lamb The expressionist art of Simon S�gal was influenced by that of Chaim Soutine, Georges Rouault, and Marc Chagall, and echoes of all three can be seen in S�gal's lithographs for L'Apocalypse. I very much admire these vibrantly colourful works, with their vivid depictions of St John's phantasmagorical vision of the end of the world. L'
Read more

Fantastic vision of the Machine Age

Image
T he painter, printmaker, sculptor and ceramicist Gio Colucci (sometimes known in France as G�o Colucci) was born in Florence (one source says Cairo) in 1892, and died in Paris in 1974. He studied architecture at the �cole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, after which he went to Egypt to practice as an architect in Cairo. It was in Cairo that he gradually moved over from architecture to fine art. His older brother was the writer and publisher Guido Colucci, born in Naples; Guido and Gio collaborated on a number of books to which Guido furnished the texts and Gio the illustrations. Gio Colucci, Bonheur du monde I Etching, 1929 From copy 74/105 Printed by Paul Haasen on Arches wove paper As a printmaker, Gio Colucci produced both etchings and wood engravings. From 1921 he showed his etchings at the Salon de la Soci�t� Nationale des Beaux-Arts, and also showed work at the Salon d'Automne and the Salon des Surind�pendants alongside Gleizes, Herbin, Delaunay, and others.  Gio Colucci, Bonheur du
Read more

Rodin's last mistress? Jeanne Bardey

Image
A comment from Emeline on my last post, about the profound unacknowledged contribution of his pupil, assistant, and mistress Camille Claudel to Rodin's work, reminded me that I have a number of etchings and drypoints by another of Rodin's pupils and mistresses, Jeanne Bardey. Like most of the women in Rodin's life - his longterm partner Rose Beuret, Camille Claudel, Gwen John - Jeanne Bardey got a raw deal from her relationship with him. She was born in Lyon 1869. She was therefore 5 years younger than Camille Claudel, and seven years older than Gwen John [N.B. This information appears to be wrong; her correct dates are 1872-1954; see the next post]. Rodin made a will in her favour, which was anulled when, after his fourth stroke, and when it has been argued he was incapable of informed assent, he was persuaded to sign a deed of gift willing all his estate to the French State. There's a whole book about this controversy, which I haven't seen, Jeanne Bardey et Rodin:
Read more