Frivolity, Restriction and Parisian Night LifeHow Montmartre and the late 1800’s shaped the work of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec.

The world in which we exist moulds us as human beings; it helps shape our identity.

It also works hand-in-hand in forming our personal expression and opinion. This

influence is particularly noticeable within the art world, as most works are visual

responses to the social, cultural and economic fluctuations present at the time.

Artists choose to illuminate certain issues and ignore others; making their art unique

in expression and personality. With this in mind, to delve into the art of previous

centuries is somewhat like viewing snapshots of the past; all of which have slightly

differing lenses and exposures.

One of these lenses was Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, a painter living in Montmartre

during the late 19th century. During this time, the sheer cultural influence from exotic

nations first manifested itself in the West. This was due to an influx in overseas trade

and travel. As a result, the common artists could visit unknown territory and paint

various foreign subjects, digesting the new artistic techniques. The repercussions of

this cultural fusion were the various original mediums and concepts that were

steadily arriving on European shores.

However, the late 19th century was home to strict academy codes and conservative

policies governing art. These restrictions were to control the type of art that was

being produced, favouring blended colours and realistic portrayal of the figure. The

academy ‘outcasts’ joined together and formed various art movements; such as

Impressionism and Art Nouveau. They chose to independently exhibit their own

works with disassociation to the stifling regulations and boundaries, and this gained

them much resentment from the critics in the beginning.

“Artists fall into hopeless, grotesque confusion, happily without precedent in art, for

it is quite simply the negation of the most elementary rules of drawing and painting.

The scribblings of a child have a naivety, a sincerity which make one smile, but the

excesses of this school sicken or disgust.”- Emile Cardon, La Presse, April 29th 1874

Like many other instances in history, the wider public was opposed to change;

hysteric over the disregard for previous conventional notions in the art world.

Lautrec, as part of the Les Vingt movement, began experimenting with flat colours

and bold lines; drawing obvious inspiration from the characteristics of Japanese

woodblock prints. He also chose to depict rather scandalous subject matter; a result

of his flamboyant lifestyle in brothels and dancing houses. Here, against his fellow

artists (who were all entranced with en plein air; the depiction of light throughout

landscape) Lautrec painted high-class showgirls, lesbians and realistic social

downtown living, most with dank indoor lighting; giving us insight to the grimy

atmosphere of Parisian society.

At a glance, Lautrec seems to be merely showing us what he saw; without judgement

or emotional involvement. However this neutrality is an effective disguise, as every

artist; even subconsciously; recreates the world to run parallel with their personal

experiences and opinions. Lautrec adopted this neutral mask; not to drain the

passion from his work; but more so to accentuate the exclusive nature of his world.

Without emotion, Lautrec would have never succeeded in allowing the audience to

experience the glamour, excitement and flamboyance of his restricted underground

existence. Upon viewing; the audience is emotionally thrust into the social epitome

of the night halls and brothel; we are literally enveloped in Lautrec’s private eye.

These eyes made many acquaintances and friendships with his subjects over the

course of his career. The historical value of Toulouse-Lautrec’s work is amplified as

documentation; many of his artworks depict real-life entertainers and social goers. In

one of his most recognised works; Jane Avril Dancing (1892), Lautrec captures Avril’s

continuous movement, for which she was so famous for. By using jagged brush

strokes and unblended colours he also illuminates the madness which was so very

present during the time. Another artistic device that Lautrec experiments with in

Jane Avril Dancing is leaving large bits of ‘unfinished’ cardboard; adding to the crazy

spontaneous nature of his works. The audience gain this sense of chaotic delight;

exactly what Lautrec intended.

To properly immerse the viewer in his cultural experiences; Lautrec would include

background characters which most artists considered too unimportant to appear

within their composition. However this effectively builds up atmosphere and

reinforces the raw reality of these venues.

Another one of Lautrec’s venues of preference was the circus, the dangerous acts

and curious personalities mesmerised him and he wished to effectively convey this

awe through his art. In The Equestrienne at the Cirque Fernando (1888) bold, flat

colours dominate the large canvass. This sheds light on the fast paced, colourful life

of the circus; reinforced by the extreme sense of circular motion. Another distinctive

technique present within Lautrec’s work is the ‘cut-off’ effect. Instead of placing all

the figures wholly within the picture frame, Lautrec would paint them sliced or

truncated by the edge of the composition. This effect was like an action snap-shot

that, once taken, could not be corrected if mis-framing occurred. Of course this

apparent ‘compositional mistake’ was in fact carefully constructed, and generally

employed to heighten the chaotic reality of the work.

Lautrec also explored the reality of his lustrous world through another emerging

medium, the poster. His use of flat, unshaded colour made his designs brilliantly

original, and quickly he became a well known master of the art form. Multitudes of

commissions poured in, and overnight his posters became a vibrant aspect to the

streets Montmartre. Through this, Lautrec also unintentionally stumbled across a

loophole. As posters were considered advertising material and not art, they were

untouchable to the harsh academy criticism of the time. His posters were given

exemption to the stringent rules of the day, and although many other artists were

breaking them, Lautrec’s posters escaped the disapproving comments that

accompanied individualistic artist’s practice.

During the late 19th century, the academy’s strong grip on artistic regulations was

beginning to loosen. And in its wake stood a number of artists willing to rise up and

challenge these conventions. Henri Toulouse-Lautrec was just one small brick within

the wall of artistic revolutionaries, but his individual achievements are nothing short

of commendable. The influences of overseas art, technology (photography) and

changing perspectives helped liberate these oppressed artists from the bondage of

academicism. And this revolt against boundaries continued to lace itself throughout

history, and still manages to resonate within modern art today.

“Art is what you can get away with”

- Andy Warhol