The artwork titled “Tristan Bernard at the Buffalo Station” was painted by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in the year 1895. It is an oil on canvas genre painting that belongs to the Art Nouveau (Modern) and Post-Impressionism movements. Notably, the original piece is part of a private collection.
In the artwork, a solitary figure is depicted walking away from the viewer towards a train station. The figure exhibits an air of contemplative thought or distant absorption, seen in the way the subject’s head is inclined slightly forward as if in deep rumination or observing something on the ground. The person is dressed in what appears to be a heavy overcoat and a hat, suggestive of cooler weather, exhibiting the fashion of the time.
The work displays a limited color palette, with muted earth tones dominating the scene—hints of green and yellow conveying the impression of a dim or dusky time of day. The strokes used to create the figure and the backdrop are expressive and somewhat loose, a characteristic trait of Toulouse-Lautrec’s style and the Post-Impressionistic approach that privileges the artist’s perception and emotions over a strict representation of reality.
On the right-side background, there is a part of what seems to be a large, red structure, possibly a train or a part of the station itself, which adds a touch of color to the subdued scene. The background is lightly detailed, giving just enough context to place the figure within an urban setting without drawing focus away from the figure itself. The setting is calm, with no visible movement other than the subject, instilling a sense of solitude in the composition. Overall, the artwork captures a fleeting moment in the daily life of the figure, imbued with a certain quietude that leaves the viewer with an echo of the personal and introspective journey of the subject.
