Written by: Jacqueline Yu Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, in my completely unbiased opinion, was a visionary, a mastermind, an expert draftsman who depicted the secret, seldom told lives of prostitutes and performers. His signature style of sharp and clear contour lines coupled with bright colors and dramatic lighting captivated and continues to captivate audiences. His works tell stories, lives of beauty, glamour, and hardship conveyed in the simplest of strokes. Lautrec was born on November 24, 1864 to an aristocratic family. He loved horses as a child and, despite being of bad health due to his parents being first cousins, often rode them. He suffered two horrible riding accidents, and his legs stopped growing. This incident would eventually cause Lautrec to be only five feet at full height and suffer from immense pain everyday. After his accidents, he started taking art lessons with Rene Princeteau, who helped Lautrec channel his love for horses into drawing and painting. As a result, much of his early work is of horses. Soon after beginning his painting career, Lautrec discovered the impressionists and was particularly impressed by Edgar Degas’ depictions of ballerinas and stage life. Lautrec moved to Paris and rebuffed the “École des Beaux-Arts,” the primary school for the arts at the time which taught students how to paint like the Italian Renaissance, in favor of taking private lessons from Leon Bonnat and Bernard Corman which he afforded with the aid of his parents. His private lessons taught Lautrec to take experimental approaches to art and to become friends with Vincent Van Gogh and Emile Bernard. Lautrec was a massive proponent of the Parisian nightlife. He was charming and witty and a staple in Montmartre, the nightclub/red light district. He frequented cabarets, bars, circuses, and brothels and was even known by the prostitutes as “the coffeepot” due to his short stature. He liked to sketch the women of Montmartre in action like many impressionists who worked “en plein air.” In contrast, his obsession with the urban nightlife is decisively different than most other impressionists like Manet who focused on upper-middle class leisure. As an artist, Lautrec was very popular. Businesses were constantly competing for consumers due to the influx of people looking for work in Paris, and they needed advertisements to win the hearts of the people. Lautrec’s first poster of Moulin rouge brought crowds of people to the cabaret, and he quickly became a hit among nightclubs. His dynamic forms and bold colors attracted the attention of common folk who would then visit the advertised establishment. Cabarets would thank Lautrec for his service and ensure he would continue doing work for them by giving him a free seat and displaying his paintings all over the walls. Montmartre became Lautrec’s gallery. At the end of his life, Lautrec’s popularity allowed him to go into any club or performance he wanted with VIP status. He became close with many prostitutes and sometimes even lived in brothels. He repaid the kindness and humanity of these women with money, drawing them in a series called Elles, and, in Suzanne Valadon’s case, art lessons. In 1901, Lautrec died from a combination of alcoholism and syphilis leaving behind hundreds of sketches, paintings, and posters. Lautrec’s art continues to be influential today, inspiring artists all around the world with his unique aesthetic and style. His pieces represent a period of time where the focus of impressionism began drifting away from the tranquillity and monotony of upper middle class lifestyle and nature scenes to a more vibrant, vivacious nightlife. Citations:
https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/laut/hd_laut.htm https://www.theartstory.org/artist-toulouse-lautrec-henri.htm
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ContributorsJACQUELINE YU is the co-founder of the MLWGS art history online magazine. She is an incredible artist and devotes much of her time to both participating in, experiencing, and appreciating art. Archives
April 2019
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