PAUL-CESAR HELLEU (1859-1927)

This spontaneous and affectionate portrait of Helleu’s friend, the journalist and author Octave Mirbeau (1848-1917), was executed on a copper plate which had already been used by the artist. This earlier attempt, a partially drawn figure and profile of a woman, can be seen beneath the portrait of Mirbeau who sits leisurely on a canapé, his legs crossed, twirling his moustache while he gazes at the artist. The careful positioning of Mirbeau to the left of the composition, leaving the underlying drypoint very visible, seems far from accidental. Helleu is perhaps teasing his friend with an imagined dalliance.