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Toulouse-Lautrec
& The Masters of
La Belle Epoque
Opening Reception
February 5, 2005 |
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Title: Nocturne or Le Flirt
Artist: Manuel Robbe
Category: Belle Epoque
Medium: Aquatint
Framed: Yes
Height: 17 5/8"
Width: 13 5/8"
A beatifully printed impression of the definitive state. Hand signed
in black crayon lower left Manuel Robbe. In excellent condition with
bright fresh colors printed on a sheet with full margins.
Nocturne, or Le Flirt is probably the most famous subject which
Robbe drew in color aquatint. It embodies all the qualities which
make his prints such appealing works of art – an elegant slightly
sensual theme, masterly composition and a wonderful quality of
softly modulated and blended color.
Robbe was without doubt one of the greatest exponents of the art of
the color aquatint around the turn-of-the-century. He used the á la
poupée method of inking the plate in which the inks are effectively
painted onto the plate for each impression allowing them to blend
and flow into each
other. This creates a special quality of softly modulated and
merging color so that the light and the tone can vary from gleaming
highlights of pure color to soft shadows. As the ink colors are
blended
as they are applied to the plate so the effects vary from impression
to impression. This example,
which is a completed proof but before the issued edition, has very
finely balanced tones.
Robbe first began to exhibit in the early 1890’s achieving medals at
the Salons from the middle of
the decade. From the first his work also received critical
acclamation and by the late 1980’s his reputation was very
widespread and he was sponsored by Edmond Sagot, one of the leading
dealers
of the period. Above all it was the combination of his eye for
compositions which reflected the
spirit of the era and his inspired handling of color aquatint as a
medium which were and have
remained the vital elements of his art.
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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