Henride Toulousse-Lautrec and Milton Glaser

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Milton Glaser

The two artists which I have chosen to research are Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec from the first generation, and Milton Glaser, who is considered a contemporary. There are two reasons for me choosing these artists for my paper, the first being that my concentration is in the Graphic Arts and the work of these two artists is one that as the Graphic Arts community as well as I, respect the most. The second reason is that there has always been a debate in the fine arts community of whether or not commercial art can be considered fine art. Personally, as a student of the graphic arts, I do not believe that all print material is fine art, even some of the good stuff. I also do not believe that every painting that is painted, nor every sculpture that is sculpted is fine art either, including some of the good stuff. I do, however, believe that some of the work by these two artists can be considered, or has been considered a true art by the fine arts populace.

The first artist on my list is Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. I have chosen him because he is considered to be a pioneer of the graphic arts. His posters like “La Goulue at The Moulin Rouge” (see Image 1) or his advertisement for the famous songstress Jane Avril, (see Image 2) paved the way for all modern poster-art. (Polasek 1972, 44) He was the first to turn the poster into a signal that needed no explanation or text. Toulouse- Lautrec understood the modern need for publicity, and turned it into an art. (Polasek 1972, 44)

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s life has always cast a shadow on his work. It seems that when people speak of Toulouse- Lautrec, there is an immediate fixation on his disfiguration, or his bad health, or his harsh life living in the Montmartre Cabarets1. What people don’t usually talk about is how Lautrec came from an old noble French family. He comes from a family of counts who served their country proudly and where death in the battlefield was more common than death in a bed. (Polasek 1972, 11) Henri was born on November 14, 1864 in Albi, France. Although his physical development was very slow, he had unusual amounts of energy and caught on to things very quickly. At the sight of this, his father, Count Alphonse de Toulouse-Lautrec, was very proud. Henri was already displaying the Toulouse-Lautrec heritage, and would become a successful heir. As time went by, Henri became ill more regularly forcing him to spend his time sitting down and drawing instead of playing with the other kids. The first tragedy that happened to Henri was in May of 1878 when he slipped and broke his leg. It took him a very long time to recover, and his bone hardly mended at all. The first day that he was able to walk from that injury, Lautrec slipped again and broke his other leg. When the doctors tried to mend this second fracture, they realized that young Henri suffered from a genetic disorder, similar to osteoporosis, which prohibited the bones in his legs from mending, therefore stunting the growth of his legs only2. This disorder, most experts agree, is due to the fact that Luatrec’s father and mother were first cousins. After receiving this news, young Henri turned to his drawing, this time with greater intensity and more organization. (Polasek 1975, 13)

Toulouse-Lautrec’s first mentor and influence was Rene Princeteau, who was a friend of his father. Princeteau was the first to recognize Henri’s ability. He was also the one who taught Lautrec what could be his most important attribute, the ability to see and draw movement. (Polasek 1975, 12) This characteristic is a main feature in all of Toulouse-Lautrec’s work. Some of Lautrec’s later influences can be recognized as, Jean-Louis Forain, John Lewis Brown, Delacroix, Gericault, and his personal favorite, Edgar Degas. “The basis of everything is the drawing.” This simple sentence by Degas was an absolutely obvious starting point for Lautrec as well. (Polasek 1975, 12)

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec viewed painting as an escape from his illness and his critics. He felt that by becoming a good painter, he could then become a useful member of society and prove his father wrong. Alphonse de Toulouse-Lautrec by this time had left his family and stopped by to see them only every once in a while. He had lost all of the pride that he, at one time, felt for his son. Lautrec finished his baccalaureate and moved on to painters’ school where he studied under Leon Bonnat. At this time is when Lautrec began to roam the streets of Montmartre. Impressionist artist like Edgar Degas, Pierre Auguste Renoir, and Camille Pissaro lived in this area. (Polasek 1975, 18) The impressionist greatly influenced Lautrec’s work. He respected Degas’ work