Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901)

The French Post-Impressionism painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was the archetypal bohemian artist. He seemed to be outstanding at drawing, illustration and printmaking. A crippled aristocrat, he lingered across the cafes and brothels of Paris producing some of the most memorable images of Montmartre nightlife. Lautrec’s painting techniques have a vivid assortment of prostitutes, beggars, impressarios, aristocrats and drunks, whom he portrayed without criticism or disapproval. He also produced some 30 good quality advertising posters, which contributed significantly for the Belle Epoque poster craze. His works have started to symbolize both the gaiety and seediness of fin de siecle Paris. Influenced by Manet and Degas, the truly amazing figurative painters of French Impressionism, Lautrec’s key works include Woman Doing her Hair, 1891 (Musee d’Orsay) and Quadrille on the Moulin Rouge, 1892 (National Gallery of Art, Washington DC).

Quadrille in the Moulin Rouge

Born in Albi, France, Lautrec was the son and heir of Comte Alphonse-Charles de Toulouse, and the last in type of a household history that spanned on the thousand years. Traditionally the aristocracy tended to inbreed and Lautrec’s own parents were first cousins. Possibly as a result of this tradition, Lautrec suffered a variety of congenital health problems. At 13 he fractured his left thighbone, which never healed properly and the legs ceased to grow any further (his height as a possible adult was 4 foot 9 inches). A sick and quiet boy, he immersed himself in art. As a possible adult, missing out on any kind of normal life due to his deformity, alcohol and artwork painting became his life.

Lautrec was drawn to Monmartre, a location of Paris famous for its brothels, nightlife, artists, writers and philosophers. He became such a familiar face in the brothels that he often moved set for weeks at any given time. He'd end up being the confidant and friend of the Madame and her prostitutes, painting and sketching them at leisure. Certainly one of his favorite models, a red haired prostitute that he called Rosa La Rouge, posed for him regularly. It's alleged that he contracted syphilis though her.
Although his subjects are now and again near to caricature, they are shown without sentiment or criticism. Among his most well-known paintings out of this time are depictions of the singer Yvette Guilbert and the dancer Louise Weber, sometimes known on the La Goulue (the Glutton), who invented the ‘Can-Can’. His paintings of the dancer Jane Avril may also be well known.

The Dance at Moulin Rouge

A few of his most notable works include: The Dance at Moulin Rouge, 1889 (Philadelphia Museum of Art); La Goulue gets to the Moulin Rouge, 1892 (Museum of Modern Art, Ny); Jane Avril, 1893 (Poster); The Model Resting, 1889 and Au Cirque: Entrée en Piste, 1899 (both at the J. Paul Getty Museum, LA); Portrait of Suzanne Valadon, 1885 (Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires) and Divan Japonaise (The Mint Museums, Nc).
Lautrec painted his subjects quickly, using oil paint thinned by turpentine, which allowed for rapid fine marks. He often painted on unprimed cardboard, allowing for the outer lining to seem, exploiting its rawness and colour. The economy of his painting color and materials are as direct and basic as his subjects. He'd often spend his nights drinking heavily in the bars, sketching those around him after which apply those sketches to canvas in the morning.
An alcoholic most of his adult like, he died from complications induced by alcohol and syphilis, as of this family estate, three short months before his 37th birthday.

Although his artistic career only lasted only Twenty years, he managed to produce over 700 canvasses, 350 posters and 5,000 drawings. Copies of his posters continue to be popular today, because they were a century ago. For more information concerning Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s invest graphic art, see: Good reputation for Poster Art.

As well as other famous painters, like Paul Cezanne, the Dutch expressionist Vincent Van Gogh and also the colourist Paul Gauguin, he was one of the most innovative painters with the Post-Impressionist period. His skill lay in capturing people in their work environment. It comes with an immediacy and tension as part of his work, captured through his fast brushstroke and gaudy use of colour. His works were highly linear, and present emphasis to outlines and contours - he surely could recognizably depict many of his well-known singer subjects by their silhouette alone.

After his death, his mother and art dealer promoted his work, and contributed towards funds to get a museum to become built in his hometown. Although, as was the fate of a lot of bohemian artists, his works did not sell well in the own time, he is now rightly considered one of the great masters of genre painting and printmaking inside the good reputation for art of the late 1800s. His works typically sell for prices more than $15-20 million. They hang inside the collections of the greatest art museums across the world, and appearance in many poster art catalogues.