Trembling Woods

Georges Auriol made this color lithograph, "Trembling Woods," using limestone printing plates. The artist would have drawn the design onto the stone surface with a grease pencil before treating it with acid. The resulting image reflects the directness of this process. Auriol's flat planes of color and bold outlines imbue the scene with graphic impact, more akin to poster design than traditional fine art printmaking. Yet, the soft hues and melancholic imagery of a woman amidst nature evokes a mood of delicate contemplation, in keeping with the accompanying poem by Charles Cros. Color lithography relies on the division of labor. It calls for the skills of draughtsmen, printmakers, and publishers. These printmaking processes flourished during the late 19th century and facilitated the wider distribution of art. Auriol's lithograph speaks to the democratization of art, bringing aesthetic experience to a wider audience beyond the walls of galleries. It dissolves boundaries between art and design, inviting us to appreciate the skilled labor embedded in the print.