Oil Paintings Reproductions

About The Artist - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (November 24, 1864 - September 9, 1901)

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a French painter and illustrator.

About The Painting - La Goulou Entering the Moulin Rouge

Toulouse-Lautrec was not just a painter but was also a draftsman, illustrator and printmaker. Most of his paintings took inspiration from the community and the day-to-day life and La Goulou Entering the Moulin Rouge is one such painting. Toulouse-Lautrec actively participated in community activities and spent long hours sitting in night clubs spending most of his time and money in drinking. This was also the place where Toulouse-Lautrec observed life around him and drew sketches of people, faces and activity. From the night clubs, he used to head straight back to his studio in the morning to add color and depth to each of his sketches and turn them into conspicuous paintings.

Regarded by many as the painter of people, Toulouse-Lautrec took a lot of care while choosing his subjects. Most of his subjects were either prostitutes or cabaret singers, and even dance-hall performers. There was a reason behind choosing such notorious subjects. Toulouse-Lautrec believed that his subjects like the one in La Goulou Entering the Moulin Rouge were able to bring out the realism and expressions related to the French society. He lived in an age where France was the hotbed of social decay. This social decay was the essence that he wanted to show to the world through his paintings and he succeeded very well.

The picture of a naked woman sitting on a wooden floor with her back towards us was symbolic of the times that France was going through. Apart from the symbolism, there was another aspect of this Toulouse-Lautrec painting that made it stand apart. It was the mixture of Postimpressionism as a theme, the excellent capability of line drawing and a variation of light and natural colors.