Frivolity, Restriction and Parisian Night

Life
How 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