Duet of the Trojans 1894

Henri Fantin-Latour made this lithograph, Duet of the Trojans, using a rather indirect method. It’s not like painting or sculpture, where the artist’s hand is immediately evident. Instead, he drew on a flat stone with a greasy crayon, then treated the stone so that ink would adhere only to the drawn areas, and finally printed it onto paper. Look closely, and you’ll notice the remarkable range of tones and textures he achieved. From the dense, velvety blacks of the foliage to the soft, luminous highlights on the figures, Fantin-Latour coaxed a full spectrum from this medium. The process demands careful labor, building up the image through layers of marks. This contrasts with the more immediate gestures of painting. Fantin-Latour embraced the possibilities of printmaking. It allowed him to circulate his art widely, reaching audiences beyond the traditional art world. Lithography was a modern, reproducible medium, tied to the burgeoning print culture of the 19th century. It enabled artists to engage with social and political issues, and challenge the established hierarchies of art. So, next time you look at a print, remember that its value lies not only in its image, but also in its process and context.