Toulouse-Lautrec

In our imaginings of Paris, painter and graphic artist

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

(1864-1901) has no small role to play. In his prints, posters, paintings, and drawings, the artist

immortalized the city's Belle Epoque nightlife

and

put the northern neighborhood of Montmartre on the global map of creative-hedonist hotspots.

The son of old French nobility, Toulouse-Lautrec seems to have been drawn early on to visions of a demimonde, centering his attention on the

dance halls, cabarets, and brothels

of Montmartre and adopting

famed dancers and singers

as his subjects, most notably Jane Avril. His works include both lively performance scenes and quiet, tender "after-hours" portraits such as

The Sofa

and

In Bed.

Stylistically, he mastered

both bold graphics, as celebrated in his promotional posters of Jane Avril, and a loose yet evocative sketchwork

.

Though he died aged just 36, due to complications from alcoholism and syphilis, Toulouse-Lautrec's cultural influence was immense. This introductory book takes a walk through his world of singers, dancers, musicians, and prostitutes to reveal an artist of

great humanity, striking figurative skill, and a pronounced sense for the energy and stories of a city

.