26th Annual Student Research Conference
At the Moulin Rouge: Henri de Toulouse Lautrec and the Dancer
Mamie E. Cox
Dr. Elizabeth Gand (Fort Lewis College), Dr. Julia DeLancey, and Dr. Cole Woodcox, Faculty Mentors
Post-Impressionist draftsman, painter, and printmaker Henri de Toulouse Lautrec distanced himself from the aristocratic world in which he was brought up, and opted for a more bohemian lifestyle in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris. He came to Montmartre at the height of the Belle-Époque and was immediately enamored with the boisterous lifestyle of café-concerts, dancehalls, nightclubs, and brothels, and especially venerated the vivacious dancers who dominated the content of his many works. This presentation will address Toulouse Lautrecs fascination with the Dancer by looking at the culture of Montmartre and its famous nightclubs, such as the Moulin Rouge, specific individual dancers including Louise Weber and Jane Avril, and his dynamic representation of them in paintings and prints, as well as looking at his selected works through the context of social disability. This presentation was written as part of a long-distance mentorship program of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges under the supervision of Dr. Elizabeth Gand of Fort Lewis College.
Keywords: Montmartre, Paris, Belle Époque, Prints, Paintings
Topic(s):Art - Art History
Disability and the Arts
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 302-3
Location: OP 2117
Time: 1:30