Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
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Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. |
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (
November 24,
1864 –
September 9,
1901) was a
French painter.
Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec Monfa was born in
Albi,
Tarn in the
Midi-Pyrénées Region of
France.From an old aristocratic family which had lost much of its prestige, he was the son of
Comte Alphonse and
Comtesse Adèle de Toulouse-Lautrec. Henri was their first child. A brother was born on
August 28 1867 but died the next year. His parents were first cousins and much inter-marriage had already taken place within the families. This was done to preserve the family wealth, but led to genetic defects as the result of
inbreeding.
At age 12, Henri fractured his left thigh bone, and at 14, his right thigh bone. A
genetic disorder prevented his bones from healing properly, and his legs ceased to grow. He reached maturity with a body trunk of normal size but with abnormally short legs, described by Jean Bouret as having "developed the torso of a grown man on the legs of a small boy; and his handsome face changed gradually into a thick-lipped, monstrously masculine and sensual mask covered in black stubble." He was only 1.5 m (4' 11") tall.
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La Goulue arriving at the Moulin Rouge. (1892). |
Unable to participate in the activities a normal body would have permitted, Toulouse-Lautrec lived for his art. He became an important
post-Impressionist painter,
art nouveau illustrator, and
lithographer, and recorded the
bohemian lifestyle of Paris at the end of the
19th century. In the mid-
1890s, Toulouse-Lautrec contributed illustrations to the humorous magazine,
Le Rire.
He was deemed "the soul of
Montmartre", the Parisian quarter where he made his home. His paintings portray life at the
Moulin Rouge and other Montmartre and Parisian
cabaret and theaters, and in the
brothels that he frequented (and where he perhaps contracted
syphilis). Two of the well-known people he portrayed were singer
Yvette Guilbert, and Louise Weber, known as the outrageous
La Goulue, a dancer who created the "
French Can-Can."
Toulouse-Lautrec taught painting to, and encouraged the efforts of,
Suzanne Valadon, one of his models and probably his mistress. He is believed to have been contracted
syphilis from her.
An
alcoholic for most of his adult life, shortly before his death he entered a
sanatorium.
He died from the complications of alcoholism and syphilis at the age of almost 37, at the family estate in
Malromé; he is buried in
Verdelais,
Gironde, a few kilometres from his birthplace.
His last words when he died were "Vieil imbécile!" ("Old fool"), in reference to his father who was present.
After his death, his mother, The Comtesse Adèle Toulouse-Lautrec, and Maurice Joyant, his art dealer, promoted his art. His mother contributed funds for a museum to be built in Albi, his birthplace, to house his works.
Toulouse-Lautrec is said to have been a genius of an artist whose remarkable powers of observation were matched by a profound sympathy with humanity. He never exhibited any regret at his deformities. He lived life fully, made many friends, and was accepted in spite of his short stature.
Before
2005, his paintings sold for as much as $14.5 million.
He is portrayed by
John Leguizamo in the film
Moulin Rouge! and more accurately by
Jose Ferrer in the
John Huston classic
Moulin Rouge (without the exclamation point).
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Moulin Rouge - La Goulue. (1891) Poster. |
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Alone*
Ambassadeurs: Aristide Bruant. (
Aristide Bruant)
*
At the Moulin Rouge: Two Women Waltzing*
Rue des Moulins: The Medical Inspection*
The Toilette*
The Two Girlfriends*
Two Half-Naked Women Seen from behind in the Rue des Moulins Brothel*
Woman Pulling up her Stocking*
Yvette Guilbert Greeting the Audience. (
Yvette Guilbert)
*
May Belfort singing Daddy Wouldn't Buy Me a Bow-wow)
*
Website dedicated to Lautrec.*
The Artist Biography Painter's Life and Works By Karan Reshad
*
Website about Lautrec.
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