A Study on the Exemplary Bohemian Artist - Henri Toulouse-Lautrec

Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec or Henrihis health. On September 9, 1901, at the young age
Toulouse-Lautrec, a Post- Impressionist artist, wasof 36, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec succumbed to a stroke
born on November 24, 1864, to a patrician family inat the Chateau. He was cremated near the Calvary
Albi, France. The son of Count Alphonse-Charles deHill, at Verdelais. Posthumously, vast demand was
Toulouse-Lautrec and Adele Tapié decreated for his paintings and posters, which fetched
Céleyran, Henri was the last progeny in atowering prices at auctions and sales.
lineage of aristocrats and was due to take over asCompared to the other artists of his era, Henri shot
the Count of Toulouse, had he not died prior to histo fame and established himself as an artist, quite
father. Due his delicate physical health, he was quiet aearly, in his brief lifespan. His style was solitary, full of
protected child who never got enough opportunitiespowerful play of colors and the delicate brush
to enjoy his aristocratic lifestyle. Henri fractured bothstrokes. A representation of movements in his
his legs by a fall, in his adolescence, atrophying thesurroundings was always portrayed in his works.
normal growth of his legs. Abetted by an inheritedHenri's use of movements was quite contrary to the
calcium deficiency and a pair of crippled limbs, he wasexisting approach of anatomic correctness of
permanently stunted for life.depictions in contemporary art. Later on, art historian
In 1882, Henri shifted to Paris to pursue his studies inrecognized him as an inventor of Art-Poster for the
Art and settled in Montmartre. Absorbed in to thesheer brilliance in his swift sketches and paintings.
bohemian existence of the period and addicted toSome of Henri's famous works are the "Moulin
alcohol, he soon became an aficionado of nightlife. HeRouge-La Goulue (1891)," the "Portrait of Gabrielle,"
became a regular guest at the cafes and cabaretthe "May Belfort," the "At the Moulin Rouge: Two
entertainment centers like the Moulin Rouge.Women Waltzing," "In Bed (1893)," and "At the Circus
Throughout the carousing, Henri sketched andFernando."
painted, picking his cues from the scenes of theAn inconsiderate and sharp raconteur of both the
Parisian nightclubs. All the works were put on canvas,flashy Parisian nightlife and the fetid rudiments of
or completed into lithographs. Alcoholism startedlate-19th-century society, Henri dared and intrepidly
taking its toll on his health and in the year 1899, hefought all the physical odds in his life to taste success
suffered a spell of delirium tremens. To top it all, heeventually. He died at the age of thirty-six years, on
contracted syphilis and completely lost the track ofSeptember 09, 1901 at Malrome.