In our imaginings of Paris, painter and graphic artist
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
(1864–1901) has no small role to play. In his prints, posters, paintings, and drawings, the artist
immortalized the city’s Belle Époque nightlife
and
put the northern neighborhood of Montmartre on the global map of creative-hedonist hotspots.
The son of old French nobility, Toulouse-Lautrec seems to have been drawn early on to visions of a demimonde, centering his attention on the
dance halls, cabarets, and brothels
of Montmartre and adopting
famed dancers and singers
as his subjects, most notably Jane Avril. His works include both lively performance scenes and quiet, tender “after-hours” portraits such as
The Sofa
In Bed.
Stylistically, he mastered
both bold graphics, as celebrated in his promotional posters of Jane Avril, and a loose yet evocative sketchwork
.
Though he died aged just 36, due to complications from alcoholism and syphilis, Toulouse-Lautrec’s cultural influence was immense. This introductory book takes a walk through his world of singers, dancers, musicians, and prostitutes to reveal an artist of
great humanity, striking figurative skill, and a pronounced sense for the energy and stories of a city