Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
French, 1864–1901
Dr. Péan Operating
c. 1891–92
“If I weren’t a painter, I would like to be a doctor,” Toulouse-Lautrec once said. The artist regularly attended surgeries performed in public by the distinguished Dr. Jules-Émile Péan. In this painting, Péan is shown with a look of intense concentration as he inserts forceps into a patient’s gaping mouth, held open by an assistant. The close-up viewpoint and sketchy brushwork convey the urgency and immediacy of a surgical procedure in progress.
Medium | oil on laminate cardboard |
Dimensions | 29 1/8 x 19 5/8 in. (73.9 x 49.9 cm) Frame: 35 1/2 x 25 1/4 x 3 in. (90.2 x 64.1 x 7.6 cm) |
Object Number | 1955.567 |
Acquisition | Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark before 1955 |
Status | Off View |
Image Caption
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Dr. Péan Operating, c. 1891–92, oil on laminate cardboard. Clark Art Institute, 1955.567
Select Bibliography
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