Theodore Gericault was a French painter of the realist school, born in 1791. He made a name for himself using unconventional techniques in protest against the pseudo-classicist painting. His work exhibits a passion for studying the human form and human heroism versus defeat. During the early 1820s he traveled to England where he produced a series of well-executed lithographs. Eugene Delacroix, born in 1798, was a leading French Romantic painter and one of the first artists to use lithography. He made a name for himself as a painter, often drawing inspiration from literature. His earlier style reflects the influence of Raphael and Rubens. In 1825, he undertook a series of lithographs, inspired by the writings of Sir Walter Scott, Shakespeare and Lord Byron.
James Whistler was born in Massachusetts in 1834, but expatriated to Europe, spending most of his artistic life in France and England. Though he painted during the time of the Impressionistic period, he was strongly influenced by classicism and Japanese art, and passionately professed the idea of "art for art's sake." During 1878 and 1879, Whistler produced a series of lithographs, featuring close friends and scenes of daily life, which explore light and shadow, and their effective moods. Then, in 1887, as lithography again grew in popularity among French artists, Whistler produced a series of prints that again explored the interplay of light and darkness. About 1890, Whistler also experimented with colored lithographs. Today, his lithographs are highly sought among the art community.
Edgar Degas, a French artist born in 1834, is most famous for his impressionistic paintings of ballerinas and his use of light. Early in his career, Degas chose historical subjects, later becoming more interested in painting scenes from his everyday life, such as cafes, horses and women at work. In the 1870s, Degas began experimenting with lithography, largely losing interest in painting. Lithography allowed Degas to further explore the qualities and contrast of natural and artificial light.
A French artist born in 1864, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is known for his influence in the emering Art Nouveau movement of the 1890s. He spent much of his time in nightclubs in Paris, observing patrons' behavior and their form and movement as they danced and interacted. He was strongly influenced by Degas' work. During the 1890s, using colored lithographs, Toulouse-Lautrec created advertising posters for nightclubs and well-known performers. His lithography is distinguished by its vibrant colors and simple construction, drawing influence from Japanese art.