Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is best described as a printmaker known for which technique?

• A. Woodcut
• B. Etching
• C. Fresco
• D. Lithography

Answer: (D)

Lithography is a printmaking method that lets an artist draw directly on a flat surface with a grease-based medium, then use ink and water to transfer that image to paper. This approach was perfect for Toulouse-Lautrec because his fame rests on posters advertising nightlife scenes in Paris. Lithography makes it possible to reproduce his drawn lines and bold areas of color with relative speed, which is ideal for mass production of eye-catching posters that could grab attention in busy streets and venues.

The other techniques don’t fit his well-known work as closely. Woodcut relies on carved wood blocks and heavy, often stark contrasts, which isn’t how his posters read. Etching uses delicate lines on a metal plate and yields fine tonal shading, not the flat, graphic color blocks that define his poster style. Fresco is a wall-painting method done on plaster, unrelated to the print processes used for his poster art. So, the technique that best describes his printmaking legacy is lithography.