Les Revenants; La Pêche
1890
Medium
5-color lithograph on wove paper
Dimensions
image: 20.1 x 29.7 cm (7 15/16 x 11 11/16 in.) sheet: 21.7 x 31.1 cm (8 9/16 x 12 1/4 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of The Atlas Foundation
Accession Number
1995.76.62
Art Historical Context
Henri Rivière's *Les Revenants; La Pêche* (1890) is a captivating 5-color lithograph wove paper, measuring just 20.1 x 29.7 cm. Created during the height of fin-de-siècle Paris, intimate print captures a haunting coastal scene, likely inspired by Breton folklore where "les revenants"—ghostly returnees—emerge in a nocturnal fishing tableau titled *La Pêche* (The Fishing). Rivière, a master of French color lithography, drew heavily from Japanese ukiyo-e prints, emulating their flat colors, bold outlines, and atmospheric depth without relying on woodblocks. Lithography's significance here lies i...
About the Artist
Henri Rivière
Henri Rivière (1864-1951) stands as a pioneering figure in European printmaking, particularly recognized as the father of color lithography and color woodcut techniques in the West. Born in Paris during the Second Empire, Rivière achieved distinction in two distinct artistic realms: as the creator of innovative shadow theater performances at the legendary Chat Noir cabaret, and as a printmaker who...