Artwork
Les Champs-Elysées
Les Champs-Elysées is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Henri Edmond Cross. It dates from 1898 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Henri‑Edmond Cross’s 1898 color lithograph titled Les Champs‑Elysées presents a quiet park landscape.
About this work
Overview
Henri‑Edmond Cross’s 1898 color lithograph titled Les Champs‑Elysées presents a quiet park landscape. The composition is dominated by verdant tones, punctuated by subtle blues and yellows, and features a solitary tree in the foreground, a few strolling figures, and distant buildings that suggest an urban backdrop.
Subject & Meaning
The print captures a leisurely afternoon, with pedestrians seated on benches and others ambling along shaded pathways. The tranquil atmosphere, conveyed through the gentle arrangement of figures and foliage, invites contemplation of everyday serenity within a public space.
Technique & Style
Executed as a color lithograph, the work employs layered printing plates to achieve soft, blended hues. Cross’s handling of line and tone creates a delicate, almost painterly effect, while the restrained palette emphasizes light and atmosphere over precise detail.
History & Provenance
Produced in 1898, the lithograph reflects Cross’s mature period, during which he explored the interplay of color and light. It entered the market as part of a series of urban and garden scenes that were widely distributed in the late nineteenth‑century French print market.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
