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Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born on November 24, 1864 in southern France. He came from a one of the wealthiest families in Europe.

Comtesse Adele-Zoe de Toulouse- Lautrec Count Alphonse creatively dressed in a hunting costume. His Father was a Count(an European nobleman). Lautrec Painted this picture of his mother in 1883 when he was 19

Henri was weak and often sick. By ten years old he had begun to draw and paint. He loved to paint the animals that lived on the farms and in his family’s many estates. Oil Painting Title: Margot by Henri Toulouse Lautrec

At twelve Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec broke his left leg when he was getting up from a chair. He took a long time to get better and then….

At fourteen his broke his right leg. His legs never grew normal after that.

While he was recovering from his broken legs, Henri had lots of time to practice Painting and drawing.

Henri de Toulouse Lautrec was sad to not be able to follow in his father’s footsteps of riding and hunting. Instead, he focused on sketching and painting the things he loved. Count Alphonse de Toulouse-Lautrec, his Father, on Horseback in Costume painted when he was just 17

Artilleryman Saddling His Horse or 1881 Lautrec would have been just years old

Henri was just 16 when he painted his father Count Alphonse driving his coach with a team of powerful horses.

Henri preferred to paint pictures of ordinary people. Many who did not have money at all. He is best known for his paintings of lively scenes. He painted circuses In the Circus Fernando: The Ringmaster, Located in The Art Institute of Chicago

Dance Halls Night clubs

Henri was so interested in art his parents agreed to let him study art in Paris when he was 17 years old. Henri met Vincent Van Gogh in one of his art classes. Henri was 23 when he painted this picture of Van Gogh sitting in a café’ Henri was able to capture Vincent’s concentration and restless energy

Henri had a talent of showing people in simple real movements of everyday life. Most artists of his time painted people posing in their best outfits with elaborate furniture and backgrounds. Henri thought you could tell more about people observing them in everyday motions like combing their hair. Or…

Enjoying the Night Life at Moulin Rouge (nightclub and dancehall in Paris)

In fact, Henri started spending lots of time at the Moulin Rouge. The owner asked if Henri could create some posters to promote his nightclub and dance hall. Many People think Henri Toulouse Lautrec’s posters are his Greatest works of art. He made them easy to read.

He used large flat areas of color to grab people’s attention! These techniques are still used in posters and advertising today!

Henri’s posters were printed in large numbers to promote the club. A technique called lithography was used. This style was similar to Japanese woodblock prints. An image was drawn in wax or another oily substance and applied to a smooth lithographic stone. The ink would be applied and transferred to a blank sheet of paper. This was an inexpensive way to reproduce artwork.

Henri’s posters were soon displayed all over Paris. Henri used techniques to grab a persons attention from far away. Sometimes he cut people or objects off the edge of his poster or painting. Jane Avril was a Cancan dancer at Moulin Rouge. Henri Lautrec created this poster of her Notice an arm holding an instrument is cut off the bottom of the poster. You can also see sheets of music. You can almost hear the music as she dances.

Lautrec created this poster of the Cancan dancers in He was 31 years old.

This is one of Lautrec’s most famous paintings. It is displayed in The Art Institute of Chicago. He painted himself with his much taller cousin Gabriel. He used strong, colorful, indoor lighting in a powerful way. The woman's face is on the edge. This is how Henri captured the moments as they appeared at the time. This painting looks more like a photograph than a painting where everyone is strategically placed! At the Moulin Rouge, 1892/95 The Art Institute of Chicago

Henri’s Posters were getting lots of attention and he was enjoying his fame. He was fun to hang out with and had many friends. Some of his friends were also famous artists like Renoir, Camille Pissarro, and Vincent Van Gogh. However, Henri was still very unhappy about being different from everyone else. Henri began spending all of his time at the nightclub.

He spent late nights drinking, partying and sketching the people and dancers he saw. The next day he would turn his sketches into paintings. Henri was drinking too much and was not taking care of himself.

His family and friends worried about his health. His drinking began to affect his health and he was confined to a hospital. He was sent home to live with his mother who cared for him until he died. He was only 36 years old. After Lautrec’s death, his mother and Maurice Joyant, his art dealer, promoted his art. His mother contributed funds for a museum to be built in Albi, France his birthplace, to house his works.

Several of his painting are on display in The Art Institute of Chicago.

If you ever get a chance to see a Henri Toulouse Lautrec painting up close you may notice that many of his painting look drippy. He thinned his oil paints out so much they were almost like watercolors. He used his paintbrush like a pencil and liked to draw with the brush.

La blanchisseuse", a painting of a young laundress, sold for $22.4 million U.S. at an auction in 2005

Henri had a talent of expressing people’s moods and personality. His Paintings seem to let you in on a persons inner most feelings, both happy or sad. Toulouse-Lautrec, Cezanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin are known as some of the greatest painters of the Post- Impressionist period Jane Avril Leaving the Moulin- Rouge