⸻ Description of the work Title: Portrait of Louise Michel Artist: Félix Vallotton (signed "FV" in the bottom right) Technique: Woodcut (xylography) Date: Late 19th century Dimensions: see photos Signature: Initials "FV" in a rectangular cartouche in the bottom right Note: In this copy, the top of the hair is partially cut off, either at the time of printing or during the cropping of the print. This black-and-white portrait depicts Louise Michel (1830–1905), an emblematic figure of the Paris Commune and anarchist activist. The artist pays a sober yet poignant tribute to this remarkable woman, whose face reflects gravity, determination, and painful wisdom. The graphic treatment is stripped down yet expressive: the wrinkles are pronounced, the eyes are shadowed, and the slightly closed mouth suggests a silent introspection. Vallotton here uses the resources of xylography to capture the essence, without artifice. The full, highly stylized form of the hair frames the face like a tragic mask. The work stands out for its formal simplicity and expressive power. As in other militant or intellectual portraits by Vallotton, it is not photographic likeness that matters, but the moral and political weight of the character. Louise Michel appears as a stoic, almost timeless figure Biography of Félix Vallotton (1865–1925) Félix Vallotton was a Swiss painter, engraver, illustrator, and writer, naturalized French in 1900. Born in Lausanne, he moved to Paris in his youth, where he studied at the Fine Arts. From the 1890s onwards, he distinguished himself with his innovative wood engravings influenced by Japanese prints, marked by a refined aesthetic, dramatic use of black and white, and a sometimes ironic view of society. Close to the Nabis movement, he associated with Bonnard, Vuillard, and Denis. Vallotton developed a diverse oeuvre: engravings, illustrations for the press, paintings of intimate scenes, landscapes, portraits, and nudes, often imbued with a distanced realism. He also authored several novels and critical writings. Félix Vallotton died in Paris in 1925. He is now recognized as one of the major artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly for having profoundly renewed the art of engraving. Type: Print Support: On paper Theme: Portrait, Self-Portrait