Artwork Page for Cléo de Mérode

Details / Information for Cléo de Mérode

Cléo de Mérode

c. 1903

Alfredo Müller

(Italian, 1869–1940)
Culture
Italy, late 19th-early 20th century
Medium
color etching and aquatint
Measurements
Sheet: 61 x 44 cm (24 x 17 5/16 in.); Platemark: 36.5 x 34.7 cm (14 3/8 x 13 11/16 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Louise S. Richards 1992.36
Public Domain
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.
Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Although a few printmakers experimented with printing etchings in color beginning in the 1870s, the idea did not really become popular until the 1890s. Müller represents this new interest and produced about 100 color etchings that combine densely bitten aquatint with irregularly wiped plates, epitomizing the turn-of-the-century taste for rich, painterly effects. The portrait of Cléo de Mérode (1875-1966), a fashionable dancer, is produced almost entirely in aquatint printed as broad planes and shapes of color that simplify and flatten the figure and define a shallow space. The very texture of the aquatint further emphasizes the surface and the flatness of the paper.
A square color etching and aquatint depicts a woman with light skin tone facing forward. She wears a wide-brimmed green hat topped with voluminous, dark blue feathers that drape beside her face, framed by dark hair. Her wide-set eyes look toward us above a faint smile. She wears a high black neck wrap and a pink garment against a muted green background. In the upper right, the name "Cleo de Merode" is inscribed.

Cléo de Mérode

c. 1903

Alfredo Müller

(Italian, 1869–1940)
Italy, late 19th-early 20th century

See Also

Visually Similar by AI

Contact Us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please fill out the appropriate request form linked below:

Update or Correct Artwork Information

Imagery or Rights for Non-Open-Access Artworks

Report a Website Issue

Further Questions About This Artwork