La Clownesse Seated Toulouse- Lautrec

Size: 5 in. x 4 in. x 3 in.

Item Type: statue

Material: Resin with hand-painted color details

Weight (lbs): 1.2 lbs

In 1893 Toulouse Lautrec lived in a brothel for several months to immerse himself in the daily life of prostitutes. He regards his later series 'Elles' as a homage to these women. La Clownesse Seated shows how perfectly he had mastered lithographic techniques. The so-called splash technique evokes a musty atmosphere, strengthened by the ironic look of the dressed up lady, Mademoiselle Cha-u-kao (1896). Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) The young count Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), who was quite small and suffered from a limp, was not born to a traditional military career. His parents recognized his talent for drawing at an early stage and he was allowed to receive artistic schooling. After a romantic/academic education, Henri soon felt attracted to the city life of Paris with her avant-gardists such as Cézanne and, more especially, Degas. He felt at home in Montmartre, with its humor, irony and its fancy dress parties so typical of the fin de siècle. He was a regular customer of the cabaret bar "Le Mirliton" and for its owner, the singer Aristide Bruant, he designed wall paintings and magazine covers.

It was the poster for 'Le Moulin Rouge', though, which brought him instant fame in 1891. He executed his compositions, with their unusual perspective and radical cut-outs, in contrasting color schemes and flamboyant style. After a number of very productive years Toulouse-Lautrec appears to lose his grip on life. In 1893 his friend and housemate Dr. Gourges got married and for the first time in his life he has to stand on his own two feet. Alcohol increasingly takes over his life and he becomes withdrawn and paranoid. A short stay in a psychiatric clinic is of no help and two years later he dies in his parental home, the Chateau de Marlome in Albi, at the age of thirty-six.