Biography
The French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lotrek, who lived at the end of the XIX - early 20th centuries, became a recognized master of painting, drawing, engraving, caricatures and illustrations, created a collection of 737 paintings, 275 watercolors, 5084 sketches and 359 lithographs. Working in the style of postpressionism and early modernism, the Creator, inspired by the images of the inhabitants of Montmartre, became one of the attachments of the applied graphics and the founder of the widespread art of the poster.Childhood and youth
The artist, the full name of which sounded like Henri Marie Rimon de Toulouse-Lotrek Montfa, was born on November 24, 1864 in an old castle, located in the south of France, in Albi's town. His ancestors belonged to the ancient aristocratic clan, leading to the King of Franks and Langobard Karl Great, but by the beginning of the XIX century, the public and political activity was lost.
The treasures of the bloodstream were adversely affected the next generations, and Henri suffered from 6 months of age because of a rare defect of the joints and bones, and his brother Robert died at all, without surviving until the 1st year. Another physical flaw boy was the deformation of the person who was not observed from any relatives, so the researchers suggested that it arose due to congenital syphilis inherited from the mother infected with this disease.
The father, enthusiastic hunched by horses and hunt, was made by the company's son and for months disappeared from the castle, leaving children to the care of his wife. True, occasionally Henri managed to achieve the attention of the parent and together with him to visit the races and the workshop of a familiar artist who wrote the delightful portraits of animals. In addition, the man and the boy visited the places for fun, the most beloved of which at the time were the city fair and the stray circus.
This communication, which has a beneficially influenced by the child's imagination, ended after the divorce in the aristocratic family, and de Toulouse-Lotrek was forced to make friends with the mother, which remained the only close and native man. But, despite the care of the Countess, the boy constantly felt the sense of loneliness, especially intensified after the accidental fracture of both legs, slowed down, and then stopped the growth of the limbs.
As a result, a teenager chained to the bed was carried away by drawing and began to take lessons from relatives, who were completely protected by the brush. Soon, the work on the paintings turned into addiction, and in 1881, Henri became purposefully engaged in art, receiving advice from a familiar painter Rene of Reno.
Watching the progress of the ward, let us give a chance with a countess of the opportunity for further training, and a young man, after recovering who became disabled, sent to Paris to the popular painter Leon Bonna.
Having become acquainted with Aza classicism, Henri settled on Montmartre and continued her education in the workshop of Fernan Kormon. And it was there that he brought friendship with such outstanding artists as Emil Bernard and Vincent Van Gogh, and in their company wandered through the picturesque streets in search of inspiration and nature. Once friends staged a young provincial meeting with a prostitute, as a result of which the thematic picture was written, determined the further genre belonging to the majority of his mature and talented work.
Creation
Images that constantly flashed in front of the eyes in the Kabare "Moulin Rouge" were infinitely fascinated by Henri, and in addition to posters who advertised the upcoming performances, he wrote how portraits of singer Ivette Hilber and dancers La Gulu (Louise Weber) and Zhanna Avril. The work "Dance in Moulin Ruzh" appeared to connoisseurs attractive, despite the fact that only trimmed fragments came from the lack of space to the viewer.
In 1895, by creating the last picture, personified the glory of Kabare, Henri moved to the central districts of Paris and settled in a quarter, aburchased by public houses and prostitutes. Conducting a lot of time in their society, de Toulouse-Lotrek created portraits "one" and "Woman with an umbrella", as well as the remaining paintings of the series, reflecting the inner drop, hopelessness and pain.
Becoming the "genius of deformity and deformation", the artist, after the simulator, she rolled into the abyss and preferred the work of uncomfortable orgies, where alcohol consumed more and more often. The number of written paintings at this time decreased sharply.
Henri began to experience the attacks of depression and paranoid nonsense. The mother, removed apartment near the housing of the artist, was concerned about drunkenness and aggression towards others. And in 1899, Henri passed a rehabilitation course in a specialized hospital, completed by writing a series of circus paintings and outstanding work "Cable dance".
As a result, the doctors released an artist from the hospital, but could not be able to restore it. After a few weeks of abstinence de Toulouse-Lotrek took up the old, copying the behavior of the lowest class and spending the week in the company of prostitutes. Almost ceasing to draw pictures, he felt the approach of death, and this doomed state was reflected in his last work, distinguished by melancholic mood, unspelling smears and color gloom.
Personal life
Because of the physical injury, the artist was not able to equip a personal life until last days remained deeply unhappy and lonely man. Having no wife, nor children, Henri held days in the company of paintings, and nights - in the brothels and beds of prostitutes.
In recent years, de Toulouse-Lotrek was looking for society close and often came to the estate of the mother, but aggression caused by excessive alcohol use was prevented by the development of these relationships and hurt the family members of the family on a devoted artist.
Death
In early 1901, de Toulouse-Lotrek continued to paint and painted portraits of people around him. At the same time, being under the supervision of the relative of the VIO field, he signed previously created paintings and, as far as it was possible, brought order in his own workshop.Having experienced physical pain, the artist could barely drive around the canvas with a brush, and by the summer the condition worsened so much that he hardly moved around the room and most of the time remained in bed.
After the stroke, which happened at the end of August 1901, Henri was paralyzed at the bottom of the body, and the mother took him to the south of France, where he died in full consciousness on September 9, without surviving 2 months to 37 years.
Relatives tried not to advertise the true cause of the artist's death, but in a newspaper necrologist placed in editions under mourning photos, journalists revealed the secret, saying that de Toulouse-Lotrek fell victim to syphilis and alcoholism.
Paintings
- 1883 - "Portrait of Mother in the Garden"
- 1883 - "Self-portrait in front of the mirror"
- 1885 - "Gladiller"
- 1885 - "Portrait of Suzanne Valadon"
- 1887 - "Portrait of Vincent Van Gogh"
- 1888 - "Property"
- 1888 - "Rider in Circus Fernando"
- 1890 - "Dance in Moulin Rouge"
- 1893 - "Two girls in bed"
- 1894 - "Salon on Moulin Street"
- 1895 - "Portrait of Oscar Wilde"
- 1896 - "Woman behind the toilet"
- 1899 - "Cable dance"