Toulouse-Lautrec

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painted the nightlife of Montmartre: dancers at the Moulin Rouge, singers, cabaret stars, café regulars. His style is quick and linear, with strong contours and thin paint, and his colour is bold. His posters changed advertising art.

He was born in Albi into an aristocratic family and studied in Paris with Léon Bonnat and Fernand Cormon, where he met Van Gogh and Émile Bernard. When the Moulin Rouge opened in 1889 he became its artist, painting and designing posters of La Goulue, Jane Avril and others. In less than twenty years he made hundreds of paintings and thousands of drawings. The Musée Toulouse-Lautrec in Albi holds the largest collection.

At the Moulin Rouge, Two Women Waltzing captures a dance floor moment. Look for the cropped figures and fast lines.