Théophile Steinlen initially trained in industrial ornament drawing in Mulhouse. In 1881, after moving to Pariswith his wife, he met Adolphe Willette and a vibrant group of artists, including Aristide Bruant, CharlesLéandre, Félix Vallotton, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Paul Verlaine, gathered at the new cabaret, Le Chat Noir. He soon settled in Montmartre and contributed to the cabaret’s eponymous weekly journal. Steinlen began painting and exhibiting his works at the Salon des Indépendants in 1893, but his most prolific activity was in illustration. He collaborated with many satirical magazines, notably L’Assiette au beurre, Le Chambard socialiste, and La Feuille. He also created numerous posters for the theatre and illustrated several books and novels. His works were widely reproduced and distributed in the streets, ultimately contributing to the evolution of illustration and inspiring an entire generation of artists, including Pablo Picasso.
Fascinated with the themes of sensuality, the human form, and animality, on our sheet the artist provides the ambiguous, tenebrous and evanescing representation of a woman in the nude. The representation of her naked torso and breasts which, rendered with vigorous strokes of charcoal, emerge from a dark background, is flanked by that of a shady figure which emerges from her left. The enigmatic nature of this composition embodies Steinlen’s interest in the exploration of sensuality – which is evident in his bohemian scenes from Parisian life – in relation to the female world. His view of women as both potentially destructive and alluring was shared by Charles Baudelaire and Félicien Rops.