In Chicago: Toulouse-Lautrec and Montmartre

The annual end of summer show at the Art Institute in Chicago features the work of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painted during the decade 1886-1896 and essentially focused upon the Parisian district known as Montmartre, the home of dance halls, brothels, cabarets, the circus, theaters and the haunt of many of the young artist/bohemians of the day. Born to aristocratic parents, who were, interestingly enough, first cousins, Lautrec suffered many chronic health problems that may in fact have had a genetic familial relationship. Though the biographic details don’t and shouldn’t overshadow his work, they do reflect in it; he undoubtedly experienced great difficulty with health concerns compounded by alcoholism and a stroke that ended his life at age 37.

Whatever the case, dwarfish little Lautrec felt some affinity for those not so well off common folk who inhabited the Parisian Montmartre district and his legacy in paint, in a variety of forms, is at the Art Institute for all to contemplate. Importantly, the exhibit also features paintings by artists whose work, though contemporaneous with Lautrec’s, are far more traditional in their use of color, line, and general composition techniques; the contrasting styles helps one to see the uniqueness of Lautrec’s artistic vision. In addition, the works of a few younger artists who knew and were influenced by Lautrec are also included in this show. Most notable in this group is the work of the very young Pablo Picasso who in this context is hardly recognizable as Picasso, but the Lautrec influence is unmistakable to the point of, in at least one instance, looking like it might have been painted by Lautrec himself.

Did I enjoy this show, would I recommend it? A qualified yes. Be warned, the masses turn out for the block buster shows; this exhibit featured the usual crowed galleries complete with the bumping and jostling; however, I can’t ever remember a time when so many groups of people, all wearing the docent inspired headsets, crowed about eight to ten feet in front of a work staring, not moving! Standing! Blocking the view! Initially, I admit to feeling some discomfort as I moved about the galleries moving in front of these stationary clusters of people to view Lautrec’s work. I don’t know (I didn’t rent a head set --I can’t stand the god damned things!) what the recorded commentary included. Perhaps it was on a the racy side. Maybe they included intimate, exotic Penthouse style details from the lives of the prostitutes Lautrec painted. I don’t know, but in fact most of them, the courtesans, wore looks ranging from sad or haggard to pretty damned bored as they sat waiting for the next trick to appear.

Ah but the significance of work itself really pushes the personal discomfort of crowds and the associated misery into the realm of the insignificant. One doesn’t have to be a sophisticated art lover to see Lautrec’s uniqueness in the development of art. The impact he has had on graphic art is so beautifully evident in the stylized posters that made him as well known, famous, as any of the people or places he depicted on those posters. Oddly enough, given the location of this exhibit, Lautrec’s bold use of primary colors in large flat spacial plains bounded by simple lines presaged the much later large, geometric spacial, color works by Ellsworth Kelly; six of Kelly’s works are in the permanent collect at the Art Institute hanging in the passage way leading to the Lautrec exhibit.

In subject matter and general interests, It’s easy to see Lautrec’s relationship to the Impressionists with whom he associated; indeed, the influence of his mentor Degas is ever present in his work both in terms of subject matter and theme; however, Lautrec strikes me as being more modern than his master, particularly in his use of the color blocks but also in the more stylize forms that approach caricatures, and though both Degas and Lautrec were influenced by Japanese prints, that influence is more pronounced in Lautrec’s work.

Incidently, for those of you who are interested in purchasing high end art, the refrigerator magnets for sale in the small gift shop offering associated Lautrec show items for sale are great. The show runs through 10 October 2005.

Davy Crockett