Tête de femme (Head of a Woman)

Art Historical Context

Henri-Charles Guérard's *Tête de femme (Head of a Woman)* created in 1895, is striking example of late 19th-century French printmaking. This intimate woodcut in black ink on smooth wove paper features a delicately rendered female head within a compact image size of just 11.2 x 10.9 cm (4 7/16 x 4 5/16 in.), set on a larger sheet of 38.1 x 27.9 cm (15 x 11 in.). The scale invites close viewing, emphasizing the subject's contemplative expression through bold contrasts and fluid lines. Woodcuts, a relief printing technique where the artist carves away negative space from a wood block to leave raised designs for inking, were experiencing a revival in fin-de-siècle France. Guérard, a skilled printmaker, harnessed this medium's potential for graphic intensity and texture, evoking the era's Japonisme influences and the push toward original prints as fine art rather than mere reproductions. The choice of wove paper—known for its even surface—enhances the crispness of the black lines against the white ground. Now part of the National Gallery of Art's print collection (Department CG-E), this work was generously gifted by Virginia and Ira Jackson in memory of Virginia H. Jackson. It offers visitors a window into the artistic experimentation of the 1890s, celebrating the portrait's timeless allure through innovative technique.

About the Artist

Henri-Charles Guérard · 1846–1897

Henri-Charles Guérard (1846–1897) was a French printmaker and painter who became one of the leading figures of the etching revival that swept through France and Britain in the second half of the nineteenth century. Born in Paris, he trained in the city's vibrant artistic milieu and developed close friendships with the Impressionist circle, most notably Édouard Manet and Eva Gonzalès, whom he marri...