Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Montreal, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Toulouse-Lautrec, 1864-1901, 1968

M.G. Dortu, Toulouse-Lautrec et son oeuvre, vol. III, New York, 1971, no. A.183, illustrated p. 495

The work is executed on cream wove paper taped to a window mat via the upper edge on verso. The right edge of the sheet is folded back on verso and bears and inscription written by MG Dortu and dated 25 Mai 1954. The upper edge is reinforced with tape and there is a small stain corresponding ot the section of oil paint on the front. The sheet is fresh and the line is strong. Excellent condition overall.
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As chronicler of the café culture and the night life in turn-of-the-century Paris, Toulouse-Lautrec had no equal. Born into an aristocratic French family in 1864, he spent much of his life among the Parisian demi-monde, revealing his genius in sharp, analytical portrayals of the twilight world of fin-de-siècle Paris. A brilliant interpreter of this lively and debauched world, Lautrec did not limit himself—as so many of his contemporaries had—to social critique. Whether it was the quick sketch of a face, the curving lines of a group of dancers, a scene in a café, at the Théâtre des Variétés or in a maison close, he succeeded in capturing the timeless humanity that lay beneath the illusory facades of his subjects.

This Autoportrait of 1881 finds the artist in the year he began his studies in the studio of René Princeteau. Drawn from a technically difficult angle for a self-portrait, over the shoulder from behind, the portrait gives little detail of the 17-year-old artist’s physical features, but reveals early evidence of his artistic gifts and ambitions. Indeed he would become well known for providing illustrations to several periodicals of his day. The crispness of detail in the present composition evidences his early skill in this regard, giving the subject dynamic realism that pervades the lightly worked composition. The gently worn hat frames the outline of a face that is as full of character as the artist himself. The single stripe of red pigment that highlights the shoulder of his sleeve immediately draws the viewer’s attention, making the present work a lively example of the penetrative, insightful character of Toulouse-Lautrec's portraiture and remarkably modern style.

 

Fig. 1 Double-exposed photograph of Toulouse-Lautrec, circa 1892