Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Biography

Toulouse-Lautrec was a 19th century French artist and was one of the best-known painters of the Post-Impressionist period. Although he lived a tragically short life and died at the age of 36, it was not before he left his indelible mark on the history of French art. Along with painters like Cézanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin, he is considered to be a major figure of the Post-Impressionist period. Born into an aristocratic family, he developed an early interest in art and started drawing sketches and caricatures in his exercise workbooks as a young boy. His artistic talents soon became apparent and one of his father’s friends, the painter René Princeteau began giving the boy informal lessons. As a child, Toulouse suffered from ill health which prevented him from undertaking many of the activities that boys from aristocratic families participated in. Thus, he was mostly confined to his room and stared painting in earnest. He eventually went to study art with the portrait painter Léon Bonnat and blossomed into an acclaimed artist in his own right. Even though his career spanned less than 20 years, he created over 737 canvases, 275 watercolours, 363 prints and posters, and 5,084 drawings within his relatively short career. However, he became addicted to alcohol which ultimately led to his decline