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Henri Toulous-Lautrec Essay
Henri Toulous-Lautrec Essay
Henri Toulous-Lautrec Essay
Life
How Montmartre and the late 1800’s shaped the work of Henri
Toulouse-Lautrec.
However, the late 19th century was home to strict academy codes
and conservative policies governing art. These restrictions were to
control the type of art that was being produced, favouring blended
colours and realistic portrayal of the figure. The academy ‘outcasts’
joined together and formed various art movements; such as
Impressionism and Art Nouveau. They chose to independently
exhibit their own works with disassociation to the stifling regulations
and boundaries, and this gained them much resentment from the
critics in the beginning.
“Artists fall into hopeless, grotesque confusion, happily without
precedent in art, for it is quite simply the negation of the most
elementary rules of drawing and painting. The scribblings of a child
have a naivety, a sincerity which make one smile, but the excesses
of this school sicken or disgust.”- Emile Cardon, La Presse, April 29th
1874
Like many other instances in history, the wider public was opposed
to change; hysteric over the disregard for previous conventional
notions in the art world.
During the late 19th century, the academy’s strong grip on artistic
regulations was beginning to loosen. And in its wake stood a
number of artists willing to rise up and challenge these conventions.
Henri Toulouse-Lautrec was just one small brick within the wall of
artistic revolutionaries, but his individual achievements are nothing
short of commendable. The influences of overseas art, technology
(photography) and changing perspectives helped liberate these
oppressed artists from the bondage of academicism. And this revolt
against boundaries continued to lace itself throughout history, and
still manages to resonate within modern art today.