erhaps one of the most recognized artists who captured the enticing culture of the bohemian revolution of nineteenth-century Paris is Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Well-respected in his time and globally famous today, Lautrec captured and made famous the colorful and lively society of establishments such as the Moulin Rouge and the Moulin de la Galette. Lautrec was intensly fascinated by the people who surrounded him - especially when he was at the Moulin Rouge. Some experts theorize that he may have felt a kindered connection to the dancers and ‘outcasts’ of society because
he had struggled with congenital health conditions for most of his life (resulting in his shortened stature). Regardless of the stimulaas his primary focus of the majority of his works. As an artist, he far more interesting to view and create than landscapes, still lifes, or other scenic views. Regarding his friend and contemporary, Claude Monet, Lautrec stated once that, “Monet’s work would have been even greater if he had not abanThrough his frequent visits to the bohemian dance halls of Paris,
ures that he portrayed often in his works. Jane Avril, pictured to the right, was the focus of many of his works and studies. He also helped to make famous ‘La Goulue,’ a Can-Can dancer from the Moulin Rouge (image right, bottom). Lautrec sought to capture their spirit through interpreted sketches, always with a strong sense of movement and abstraction of line. He depicted these men and women so often in his various posters and paintings that he created lasting characters which are still idenhundred years later.
ithin the curious world of the bohemian, Lautrec’s truly admirable work was created, and he grew into a unique role as participant, observer, and interpreter simultaneously. His goal in painting was to capture the true feeling of the actions and environments surrounding him. Lautrec was eager to create details from minimal lines and, as he often created types
of characters in his work, he also interpreted entire moments that piqued his curiosity. While he enjoyed frequenting the dance halls, he enjoyed more the atmosphere of excitement which they created. Perhaps due to his lack of formal training, Lautrec was much less interested in perfecting forms as he was fervent in capturing the essence of a time and space. When
commenting once on his lack of ‘proper’ participation within the far more interested in capturing a spirit: “Novelty is seldom the essential...make a subject better from ception freed his ability to create unique techniques involving light, color, and line that translated very emotionally from life experiences.
or many, Lautrec’s style is recognizable and unique. He used light as a means of fully illuminatthan geometric shapes to convey a sense of movement. Color was tion for Lautrec. Rather than be weighed down by the use of color in a naturalistic way, he used color to emphasize the strong directional motions and emotional charge in his work. The bright greens, reds, blues, and yellows helped to bolster the expressive details where line lacked. Lautrec constantly played with the boundaries between realism and abstraction and technique and intuition. In his own words, “I have tried to do what is true and tions, Lautrec was one of the few individuals whom, without a strong sense of formal artistic instruction, was able to effectively create a new individualized style that is impressive enough in quality and talent to garner renowned recognition. A feat of grand standards for any artist, perhaps the single reason he was able to create such a unique identity and style was precisely because he neither rejected nor embraced traditional instruction, but rather focused on the art by means of (mostly personal) interpretation.
Published by Purdue University Typefaces Used: HarlequinFLF, Garamond, Soul Handwriting Programs Used: Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop AD 206 | Hyungjoo A. Kim April 15, 2013