The Wave (La Vague), from "L'Estampe Originale"
Rivière here conveys the immediacy of a wave crashing against a rock, its dramatic spray of water expressed by the reserve of the paper—areas where no ink is printed. This work continues a theme the artist explored in his first celebrated series of prints, "La mer, études de vagues" (The Sea, Studies of Waves), from 1890−92, based on his observations of the ocean while visiting the northwest coastal region of Brittany. Directly inspired by his study of Japanese ukiyo-e prints, Rivière later translated the aesthetic of his Japoniste woodcuts into the medium of lithography, as seen here.
Artwork Details
- Title: The Wave (La Vague), from "L'Estampe Originale"
- Series/Portfolio: L'Estampe originale, Album IV
- Artist: Henri Rivière (French, Paris 1864–1951 Paris)
- Publisher: André Marty
- Printer: Edward Ancourt
- Date: 1893
- Medium: Lithograph
- Dimensions: Image: 11 1/2 × 18 1/8 in. (29.2 × 46 cm)
Sheet: 16 in. × 22 7/16 in. (40.6 × 57 cm) - Classification: Prints
- Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1922
- Object Number: 22.82.1-38
- Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints
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Henri Rivière
1891
Henri Rivière
1915
Henri Rivière
1891
Henri Rivière
n.d.
Henri Rivière
1892
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