Artwork Page for The Exit

Details / Information for The Exit

The Exit

1894

Félix Vallotton

(Swiss French, 1865–1925)
Culture
France
Medium
India ink and graphite on paper
Measurements
Sheet: 36.2 x 26.4 cm (14 1/4 x 10 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund 2025.149
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
?

Did You Know?

This drawing was one of five that Vallotton created for reproduction in Le Courrier Français in 1894.

Description

Swiss-born artist Félix Vallotton was known for boldly graphic images that depicted—often satirically—the lives of the Parisian bourgeoisie. He used this style, which featured flat planes of black and white, to produce both woodcuts and illustrations for popular journals. This drawing was reproduced in an 1894 issue of the popular arts and culture weekly Le Courrier Français. It depicts a sea of top-hat-clad men and veiled women departing a Parisian theater, probably the Odéon, with a sense of chaos that belies their formal attire. Like many of his time, Vallotton was interested in the psychology of crowds and the impact of urban life on the inhabitants of modern cities like Paris.
A vertically oriented ink and graphite drawing depicts a dense crowd exiting an arched doorway. In the foreground, an older man with glasses leans on a black umbrella while another man in a light coat reaches back into the cluster. Figures in black top hats and dark coats are rendered with flat black ink and fine graphite shading on light paper. A label at the bottom right reads "LA SORTIE."

The Exit

1894

Félix Vallotton

(Swiss French, 1865–1925)
France

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