⸻ Description of the work Title: Portrait of Mikhail Bakunin Artist: Félix Vallotton (signed "FV" in the bottom right) Technique: Wood engraving (xylography) Date: Late 19th century Dimensions: 9 cm x 8 cm Signature: Initials "FV" in a square cartouche at the bottom right This wood engraving depicts Mikhail Bakunin (1814–1876), a famous anarchist theorist and a major figure in revolutionary socialism in the 19th century. Created with sober yet powerful graphic means, the work captures the face of the Russian thinker with intensity and energy: a dense, curly hair, a thick beard, and a fierce, focused gaze. The wood engraving technique, of which Félix Vallotton was one of the great masters in the late 19th century, gives it its full expressive power. The sharp contrast between black and white creates a dramatic, almost sculptural presence of the character. This portrait, both stylized and evocative, is part of a series of historical and contemporary figures that Vallotton portrayed in his engravings, often with a mix of respect, clarity, and graphic tension. ⸻ Biography of Félix Vallotton (1865–1925) Félix Vallotton is a Swiss painter, engraver, illustrator, and writer, naturalized French in 1900. Born in Lausanne, he moved to Paris in his youth, where he trained at the Fine Arts. From the 1890s, he distinguished himself with his innovative wood engravings, influenced by Japanese printmaking and marked by a clean aesthetic, a dramatic use of black and white, and a sometimes ironic gaze on society. Close to the Nabi movement, he associated with Bonnard, Vuillard, and Denis. Vallotton developed a diverse body of work: 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 century and early 20th century, particularly for having profoundly renewed the art of engraving. Type: Print Medium: On paper Theme: Animals