Toulouse

Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri-Marie-Raymond de

(1864-1901)

Toulouse-Lautrec, Henri-Marie-Raymond de (1864-1901) Toulouse-Lautrec had the
misfortune to break both his legs in childhood, as a result of which he was
stunted in growth. In 1882 he began to study art seriously in Paris, and by
1885 had a studio in Montmartre where his first posters brought him immediate
recognition. In 1898 his health began to suffer from drink, and he spent three
months in a clinic recovering from an attack of delirium tremens. During his
convalescence he worked on a series of drawings of the circus. After his
recovery, he resumed his old life, but in 1901 he broke down completely and was
taken to his mother's country house, where he died. His first teacher had
encouraged him to paint animals, particularly horses; after he began studying
in Paris he met van Gogh, and he was deeply influenced by the technique and
subject matter of Degas, and by Japanese prints, the influence of which was
pervasive in Impressionist circles. His subject matter was centered narrowly
around the life he led: some portraits, many painted outdoors, scenes from
dance-halls and cafes in Montmartre, such as the Moulin Rouge, figures of
actresses, female clowns, circus artists seen backstage, and a great number of
nudes, either a la Degas -- washing, dressing -- or seen sitting around in
brothels, waiting for customers. He loathed posed models; these naked women
just walking or sitting about provided him with models in movement and were
under no restraint either in pose or behavior. His technical range was very
wide. He was a superb draftsman with a gift for conveying rapid movement and
the whole atmosphere of a scene with a few strokes. Most of his paintings are
in spirit-thinned oil paint on unprimed cardboard, using the neutral buff tone
of the board as an element in design. He was not interested in light as were
the Impressionists, only in form and movement. He subscribed to no theories,
was a member of no artistic or aesthetic movement, and the works in which he
records what he saw and understood contain no hint of comment -- no pity, no
sentiment, no blame, no innuendo.