Velikani likovne umjetnosti #27: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec - Kazalište života

Coming from a noble family, crippled since childhood, with stunted legs due to a fall from a horse, he was condemned to a life of rest. He received his first lessons in painting from the horse draftsman René Princeteau, then studied in Paris with Léon Bonnat (1882) and Fernand Cormon (1883–84). He opened his own studio in Montmartre, where he recorded scenes from the life of the Parisian demi-society, cabarets and cafes in oil, pastel and gouache, often lascivious and erotic, developing a style independent of the trends of the time.

Influenced by the Impressionists, especially the pastels of E. Degas and the multi-colored Japanese woodcut, he brightened the palette and shaped the space with pure flat colors and expressive lines. From 1892 he worked in color lithography; he brought this technique to its peak, which also influenced his later oils. He created caricatures and psychologically insightful portraits. He illustrated books.

In addition to his significant visual art, his work also has historical value because he openly and without hypocrisy recorded the life and morality of a particular environment and period. His work strongly influenced G. Seurat, V. van Gogh and the young Picasso, and as the founder of the modern illustrated poster, he influenced Jugendstil painting.