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Toulouse-Lautrec
& The Masters of
La Belle Epoque
Opening Reception
February 5, 2005 |
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Title: Fleurs D’Automne
Artist: Manuel Robbe
Category: Belle Epoque
Medium: Etching
Framed: Yes
Height: 19 1/4"
Width: 13 5/8"
c.1903
Original etching and aquatint in colors on wove paper. Hand signed
in crayon lower right Manuel Robbe, also signed in the plate
lower left. Definitive state.
Artist Bio: Born in Paris on
December 16, 1872, he was descended from a northern French family
from the town of Berthune. He studied painting and etching, and soon
became an accomplished engraver, specializing in the medium of
aquatint. He exhibited regularly at the Salons of the Societé des
Artistes Français. Edmond Sagot, one of the most significant
publishers of prints at the turn of the 20th century, was a great
admirer of Mauel Robbe, and regularly published color prints by him.
Between then and the outbreak of the war in 1914, Robbe executed a
large number of aquatints in color and in black. In 1900 Manuel
Robbe was awarded a Gold Medal at the Universal Exhibition for his
prints. In 1905 he transferred his allegiance from the Societé des
Artistes Français to the Societé Nationale des Beaux-Arts, in whose
annual salons he was henceforth to exhibit. In 1902-03, the
prestigious art critic Gabriel Moury, writing for the English based
The Studio, noted that "Robbe especially excels in depicting the
modern woman. A somewhat Special type of modern woman." Moury was
sensitive to Robbe's wide range of feminine types acknowledging that
some of Robbe's prints either focused on "the lady, the artist's
wife or the model-seated or reclining or standing, in a studio or a
drawing room, or studying some work of art."
Robbe's personal vision is found in his visualization of the women
of Paris during the intriguing era of the Belle Epoque. His personal
views are even more powerful, as Robbe was a great technician in
drypoint and in color aquatint, inventing a technique known as
"sugar-life" which gave his prints a startling subtlety. Robbe's
technique was developed over several phases. He printed his design
with a mixture of sugar, India ink and gum Arabic, on his zinc
plate. This was followed by heating the plate and working with the
soft-ground etching process until the desired result was achieved.
Finally, Robbe painted the subject on the zinc plate with an oil
paint brush. For this process he used a special brush made of rags
which was called "a la poupée " (with a doll). This process was used
by French engravers of the 18th century. In completing his image,
Robbe used his fingers to play with the tone on the zinc plate,
whereby many of these color prints appear completely unique. He
arrived at new shades of color every time he pulled an impression;
for example, park scenes appear in spring colors and also in colors
associated with autumn.
The influences on Robbe were varied. Renoir's influence is apparent
in his upper middle class women of the Belle Epoque, especially in
scenes of women in their boudoirs, with children in the parks, and
playing the piano, in the promenades and the streets where the
essence of happiness is expressed.
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