A Stroke Of Genius: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born on November 24th, 1864 in Albi, France. He was a Post-Impressionist painter, illustrator, printmaker, draughtsman and caricaturist. Lautrec was known for his colorful and theatrical works of Parisian life in the 19th century. He create works for the Moulin Rouge which I briefly spoke about in my post about the cabaret.

Lautrec in 1894, www.wikipedia.org

Lautrec's childhood and teenage years were rough. When he was three years old, his mother gave birth to his younger brother. However, he passed away about a year later. After the death of his little brother, Lautrec's parents separated and he was cared for by a nanny. Lautrec had congenital health conditions which were caused by inbreeding. Between 13 and 14, Lautrec fractured both of his legs which did not heal properly. It is believed that his legs did not heal properly due to genetic disorder. These fractures and possible genetic disorder contributed to the lack of growth in his legs. He had an adult sized torso but the legs of a child. Lautrec was five feet tall his whole life. It is also believed that he had hypertrophied genitals.

At the Moulin Rouge, 1895, www.historia-arte.com

His artistic talent showed at a young age. He moved to Paris when he was eight to live with his mother. Lautrec showed a great deal of talent in drawing and painting. Due to his inability to participate in the activities boys his age were doing, Lautrec spent his time learning about art.

Lautrec spent some time in Nice under the influence of René Princeteau. Princeteau was so impressed with how much Lautrec's painting and drawing skills had improved, he convinced Lautrec's parents to let him return to Paris. In 1882, Lautrec moved back to Paris where he studied under Léon Bonnat. He studied with Bonnat for a little but then Bonnat took a different job. Lautrec then moved into painter Fernand Cormon's studio. He stayed and studied there for five years. During this time, Lautrec met artists such as Van Gogh and Émile Bernard.

Self Portrait in front of a Mirror, 1883, www.wikiart.org

Bonnat and Cormon had different teaching styles. Bonnat was a bit stricter while Cormon was more relaxed with his students. Cormon would let his students wander around Paris looking for subjects to paint. During his time with Cormon, Lauctrec met his first prostitute (who was supposedly bought by his friends). This encounter led Lautrec to create his first painting of a prostitute. It is rumored that the woman was Marie-Charlet, Lautrec's first romantic affair.
I couldn't find what painting it was referring to.

Lautrec began showing his work at the cabaret of Aristide Bruant, a place called Le Mirliton in 1885. During the same year, Lautrec met artist Suzanne Valadon. They were lovers. Lautrec create many portraits of her and supported her as an artist. Valadon apparently wanted to marry Lautrec however, their relationship didn't last long and she attempted suicide in 1888.

Portrait of Suzanne Valadon, www.wikipedia.org

In 1887, he exhibited in Toulouse and then in Paris with Van Gogh and Louis Anquetin. Between 1889-1894, Lautrec regularly exhibited at the Salon des Indépendants. During an exhibition in Brussels in 1890, Lautrec challenged artist Henri de Groux to a duel because he was criticizing Van Gogh's work. Paul Signac (who we spoke about before) also said he would fight for Van Gogh if Lautrec was killed. Groux apologized and the fight didn't happened.

Portrait of Vincent van Gogh, 1887, www.wikipedia.org

Lautrec was commissioned to create posters for the Moulin Rouge when it opened in 1889. The Moulin Rouge reserved Lautrec a seat for him and he showed his works. His pieces for the cabaret include depictions of Louise Weber, a.k.a La Goulue and Jane Avril who I mentioned before in my post about the Moulin Rouge, and others such as singer Yvette Guilbert.

Moulin Rouge: La Goulue, 1891, www.artehistoria.com

Jane Avril, 1893, www.artehistoria.com

In 1892, Lautrec spent some time in London where he was commissioned to make a poster for J&E Bella Company. While in London, Lautrec met Oscar Wilde. They became good friends and Lautrec was very supportive of the writer when he was facing imprisonment. Lautrec painted a portrait of Wilde in 1895, the same year of his trial.

Oscar Wilde, www.artehistoria.com

During Lautrec's life as an artist, he frequently engaged with prostitutes'. Not only to paint but to... engage. He said he was fascinated by them. Painter Édouard Vuillard would later say that although Lautrec had affairs with these women, he felt he related to them. Vuillard said that Lautrec he found empathy and a similarity between his physical condition and these women's moral impoverishment. Lautrec created nearly a hundred drawings and fifty paintings which were inspired by the lives of the women. Between 1892-1893, Lautrec created a series of paintings called Le Lit. The first painting is of two women laying in bed. The other two paintings show the women kissing.

Le Lit, 1892, www.wikipedia.org

Au Lit: La Baiser, 1892, www.wikipedia.org

Au Lit: La Baiser, 1892-93, www.wikipedia.org

Lautrec suffered from alcoholism. It is not confirmed but it's believed that he drank due to the constant mocking he received. He would use his hollowed out cane to carry an endless supply of liquor around. His alcoholism really took a toll on his life. One day he collapsed from exhaustion and his family committed him to a sanatorium called Folie Saint-James. He stayed there for three months. During his stay, he drew several circus portraits. After he was released, he returned to Paris for a little while before taking a trip around France. Both Lautrec's mental and physical health began to quickly decline due to the alcohol and syphilis. He said he contacted the disease from Rosa La Rouge, a prostitute he frequently painted. While at his mother's estate, Lautrec died from complications due to the syphilis and alcoholism on September 9th in 1901. He was only thirty-six.

After Lautrec's death, his mother Adèle and his art dealer continued to promote his work. Adèle donated funds to the Bishop's Palace of the Albi Cathedral to turn it into a museum dedicated to her son and his works. Musée Toulouse-Lautrec is located in Lautrec's birth town of Albi. Over a thousand of his works can be found there such as Portrait of Gabrielle, Salon in the Rue des Moulins, and his last painting Examination at the Faculty of Medicine.

Portrait of Gabrielle, 1891, www.wikipedia.org

Salon in the Rue des Moulins, 1894, www.wikipedia.org

Examination at the Faculty of Medicine, 1901, www.wikipedia.org

Found info from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_de_Toulouse-Lautrec

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