Henri Toulouse-Lautrec’s “At the Moulin Rouge” Free Essay Example

Henri Toulouse-Lautrec’s “At the Moulin Rouge” displays an unique and personalized variation of the night life in Paris. The painting is done in oil on canvas and was created near completion of the Impressionist period. Toulouse-Lautrec however, does not use the remarkable colors as a few of the early Impressionistic paintings. There are no flowers, sun, or landscape that is typically associated with the duration. Rather, he represents a seemingly smoky-filled club circumstance. At very first glance, the eye is given the center table by the red-haired woman in the middle of the darker colors of the guys’s clothes and the less detailed greens and browns of the background.

Her head leans forward, appearing tired from the night’s entertainment. She sits with 4 others. It is puzzling to inform whether the group mores than happy or major because of the varying expressions on their faces. The audience’s perspective is as if standing on the balcony looking into the space, which offers the painting depth.

The diagonal of the strangely cropped banister assists leads the eye form the center indicate the lay in the corner right. The brightness and detail of her face likewise create the feeling of depth. It is rather unique how the face is also cut off. The colors varying from off-white to bluish-green, which are complimentary to the reddish-orange hair of the female from the focal points of the center table, appear to develop a frightening or magical sense. Likewise in contrast to the dark coloring of the background, he utilizes light, geometrically shaped reflections in the background, the light coloring of the decanter and glasses left wing, and uses brighter colors in the functions of the ladies balance so the image’s weight is not dispersed unevenly.

The females’s functions are quickly discovered that make them stand apart in the painting in contrast to that of the guys. I picked this photo because I have enjoyed taking a look at other paintings from this duration and browsed for one that caught my eye.

My initial thought was the almost mystic feel about it. The emerald-like green face of the woman in the lower right corner, as well as the fact that the face is partially hidden creates the eerie feeling. It appears she has almost been excluded from the others. The emerald-green was a popular color amount the artists of the period due to the wicked-like brightness. Unfortunately, it was so toxic that is was harmful to the artists and was sold in Paris to kill rats in the sewers. So, in an adjectively descriptive mode, I would label it as mysterious and dark, but on the other hand, there are signs of friendliness. After looking at it for some time, I began to think about what the painter’s intent was.

Toulouse-Lautrec magnifies the “non-gala” side of the Moulin Rouge, and at the same time personifies himself with that scenario. Toulouse-Lautrec includes himself in the painting, that of the short man in the background walking across the floor, although not easily recognizable due to his size. The piece makes me feel a bit sad for Toulouse-Lautrec. Placing himself in the painting in relation to the mystical or late night atmosphere setting brings out his feelings about his personal relationships, his night life, and his feelings about his physical character. He associates being caught up in the exhilaration of the routine, but dissatisfaction with his life.

Toulouse-Lautrec’s design is a working symbol of the “poisons” of his life. The highlighting of the female features throughout, in contrast to that of the men acquaint his lust for women, and the alcohol decanter and glasses divulge his weakness for alcohol. Toulouse-Lautrec was a frequent user of absinth, a green colored highly alcoholic drink which has often been portrayed as a dangerously addictive psychotic-altering drug. It has also been referred to as the “green-fairy”. I cannot help but compare the name to the green-faced woman in the painting. Even in today’s world, one can relate to the personal feelings of Toulouse-Lautrec. As with Toulouse-Lautrec’s afflictions, the poisons of the world are the same today as they were in times past.

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