Toulouse-Lautrec: The Maurice Joyant Collection

Tokyo Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum 

This exhibition housed an array of posters and lithographs in a visual, chronological journey into the works of the great documenter of late-19th century Parisian highlife, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. I have always been intrigued and slightly moved by French art and this collection of work was extensive and aesthetically captivating through a combination of the scale of the posters and the unambiguous portrayal of the subject. Taking full advantage of its close links with the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum in Albi, France, the museum had a vast selection of some of the 737 canvases, 275 watercolours, 363 prints and posters and 5,084 drawings that he is said to have created in his remarkably short lifetime.

Toulouse-Lautrec became immersed in the colourful world of Parisian nightlife while struggling with alcohol dependency, resulting in many of his works depicting lively nightclub and bar scenes of Montmartre. He excelled at capturing people in their humble state with the glamour of their surroundings stripped away, focusing often on crowd scenes in which one or two figures become the subject.

His unique depiction of people and ability to expose elements of their character relied on his painterly style which was comprised of strong but simple lines, giving great emphasis to contour. I love how his posters are built up from soft textures or pattern and areas of subtle colour applied to the background, layered with the confident use of heavier paint in long, thin brushstrokes which would often leave much of the background showing through.

There is a minimal approach to the use of line, and often you don’t need the finer detail because in your mind the picture is already formed. Black is used vigilantly but has a strong impact when it is applied, which is effective in drawing your attention to particular elements within the scene.

 The use of text adds dimension to the posters and dramatically alters the aesthetic. The staggered lettering of various fonts and sizes is used within the composition effectively and almost frames the subject. It was also interesting to see some of the prints with and without the lettering added to observe the strong impact of the text.

 Alongside the familiar posters were lots of hand drawn sketches and observations of people. These had strong expression in the line quality and were quite free in their style, retaining the ability to capture the subject in an unembellished state. 

I was interested to learn that his style was particularly influenced by ‘Ukiyo-e,’ traditional Japanese woodprints which became popular in art circles in Paris. Comparisons of these to the posters of Toulouse-Lautrec can easily be made in their similar use of line quality, composition and depiction of the characters within the print.

PS.. From Sarah x