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Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec-by Paul Sescau-

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa also known as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec,was born on 24th November 1864 in Albi, Tarn second French Empire.He was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist, and illustrator.

His immersion in the colorful and theatrical life of Â鶹APP in the 19th century allowed him to produce a collection of compelling, stylish, and provocative images of the sometimes immoral affairs of those times.

He had a disability with undersized legs, which he also broke during adolescence. He was a drunkard and developed sympathy for brothels and prostitutes that appeared in many of his works recording many details of the late 19th century, bohemian lifestyle in Â鶹APP.

He is among the painters described as post-impressionists ith Paul Cezanne, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, and Georges Seurat.

His early painting of a young laundress at Christie’s auction house, La Blanchisseuse sold for $22.4 million in a 2005 auction which set a new record for him.

Here are 10 interesting facts about Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

1.Toulouse-Lautrec was a member of aristocratic family

He was born to the aristocratic lineage from precisely three lines; the Counts of Toulouse and Odet de Foix, Vicomte de Lautrec, and the Viscounts of Monfa, in southern France.

His father was Comte de Toulouse-Lutrec-Monfa and his mother was Comtesse Toulouse-Lautrec-monfa(a count and countess). If Henri had lasted beyond his father, he would have inherited the family title.

2. He began his drawing career at a young age

Toulouse-Lautrec lived with his mother in Â鶹APP after his parents split in 1968 after the death of his younger brother. While in Â鶹APP, he drew sketches and caricatures in his exercise workbooks.

The family realized that drawing and painting was his talent and a friend of his father Rene Princeteau sometimes visited to give informal lessons. Some of his early paintings are horses.

3. Toulouse-Lautrec had congenital health conditions as a result of inbreeding

His parents were first cousins for his grandmothers were sisters who were also said to have descended from inbreeding themselves.

His ill health is suspected to be a result of inbreeding for he suffered from health conditions all his life.

He fractured both his legs at the age of 13 and 14 which never healed properly. While he developed an adult-sized body, his legs never grew beyond those of a child.

4. He immersed in art due to his sickly nature

Henri de toulouse lautrec-by Maurice Guibert-

Due to his health conditions, Toulouse-Lautrec spent a lot of his time getting better from his ailments.

During these periods of inactivity, he was able to spend time sharpening his craft as a draughtsman.

Since he was physically unable to participate in many activities enjoyed by boys of his age, the painting proved to be an ideal way for him to spend time doing and making money.

5. He studied under the portrait painter Leon Bonnat and Fernand Cormon

(Albi) Toulouse-Lautrec Museum – Racetrack -Toulouse-Lautrec 1881-by Didier Descouens-

In 1882, Toulouse-Lautrec returned to Â鶹APP after a 7-year stay in France due to his health conditions since 1875 and his mother gained him entry to Bonnats studio.

He was drawn to the heart of Montmartre, an area of Â鶹APP known for its bohemian lifestyle and the resort of artists, writers, and philosophers.

He moved to the studio of Fernand Cormon in 1882 where he met Emile Bernard and Vincent Van Gogh.

6. He made his first painting of a prostitute in Montmartre

Confetti, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec-by Jl FilpoC-

Toulouse-Lautrec created about a hundred drawings and 50 paintings inspired by the line of prostitutes.

Cormon’s instruction was more relaxed than Bonnat’s for he allowed his pupils to roam Â鶹APP looking for subjects to paint.

He made his first encounter with a prostitute during this time and made a painting of her, a woman rumored to be Marie-Charlet.

He got fascinated with their lifestyle and incorporated them in most of his paintings and also engaged in sex with them.

7. Most of his well-known works were produced in the Moulin Rouge

Yvette Guilbert, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec-by Jl FilpoC-

The Moulin Rouge Cabaret was opened in 1889 and Toulouse-Lautrec was commissioned to produce a series of posters.

Making posters offered him a living of his own as the Cabaret displayed most of his paintings including the paintings at Moulin Rouge.

Among the works he painted for Moulin Rouge and other Â鶹APPian clubs are portraits of the singer Yvette Guilbert, the dancer Louise Weber well known as La Goulue who created the French can-can, and the much fine-drawn dancer Jane Avril.

8.Toulouse-Lautrec invented a cocktail

He was an alcoholic, who initially drank only beer and wine but he eventually graduated into hard liquor namely absinthe.

The “earthquake cocktail” is credited to him; a potent mixture containing half absinthe and half cognac in a wine glass.

He was so dependent on alcohol that he walked with the aid of a cane due to his undeveloped legs which he tunneled and kept filled with liquor.

9. He was inspired by Ukiyo-e painting

Toulouse-Lautrec studied under Bonnat and Cormon who specialized in academic and traditional art and were recognized as two great painters of their time.

Even so, he was greatly influenced by the work of Degas, Van Gogh, and Japanese woodblock printing.

Ukiyo-e often portrayed theatre scenes and other places of leisure in Japanese culture.

The form of these woodblock prints can be seen in his favoring of sharp outlines, bright colors, and pictorial flatness.

10. He died due to alcoholism and syphilis

Toulouse-Lautrec’s physical and mental health declined quickly due to alcoholism and syphilis.

Which he apparently contracted from Rosa La Rouge, a prostitute who was the subject of several of his paintings.

He died in 1901 at the age of 36at his mother’s estate. He left behind 737 canvases paintings,275 watercolors,363 prints and posters, and 5084 drawings.

 Toulouse-Lautrec, a French painter, greatly influenced French art of the late 19th and early 20th centuries through his use of new kinds of subjects.

Also his ability to capture the essence of an individual with economical means, and his stylistic innovations.

His posters were admired for their bold graphics, vivid color palettes, and focus on the figure.

These designs all together served as advertisements and attracted collectors, fading the line between mass-produced prints and fine art.