The Fortifications
1893
A lone, hunched figure in a bowler hat trudges along a blindingly white path beneath a heavy, ink-black sky in this striking print by Félix Vallotton. Titled 'Les Fortifs,' the work references the 'Zone,' a lawless strip of land around Paris's old fortifications where the city's outcasts lived. Vallotton uses extreme black-and-white contrast to create a moody, cinematic atmosphere of urban loneliness that feels decades ahead of its time. As a master of the 1890s printmaking revival, his bold, graphic style paved the way for modern design, with the tiny 'FV' monogram in the corner serving as a subtle stamp of approval.
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