WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.960 Welcome back to the Deep Dive. Today we're diving 00:00:01.960 --> 00:00:03.879 straight into the heart of Belle Epoque Paris, 00:00:04.139 --> 00:00:06.339 into the world of Henri de Toulouse -Lautrec. 00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:09.800 He's this fascinating figure, isn't he? An aristocrat 00:00:09.800 --> 00:00:13.160 by birth, but ultimately the definitive visual 00:00:13.160 --> 00:00:16.679 chronicler of Paris's bohemian nightlife. Exactly. 00:00:16.800 --> 00:00:18.780 We want to go beyond just those famous Moulin 00:00:18.780 --> 00:00:21.460 Rouge posters everyone knows. Right. To really 00:00:21.460 --> 00:00:24.940 unpack the paradox of his life, a painter, illustrator, 00:00:25.019 --> 00:00:28.019 printmaker, born into this incredibly privileged 00:00:28.019 --> 00:00:32.359 world. Yet he dedicated his art to the, well, 00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:34.799 the underclass, the performers, the marginalized. 00:00:34.859 --> 00:00:36.679 That's the core of it, isn't it? That choice. 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:39.039 He's technically a post -impressionist, you know, 00:00:39.039 --> 00:00:42.020 often grouped with Cezanne, Van Gogh. Sure, Gauguin, 00:00:42.079 --> 00:00:44.670 Seurat. But his focus was so different, almost 00:00:44.670 --> 00:00:47.329 entirely urban, human -centric. Yeah, he wasn't 00:00:47.329 --> 00:00:50.229 painting haystacks. He was capturing, as one 00:00:50.229 --> 00:00:53.130 source puts it, these enticing, elegant, and 00:00:53.130 --> 00:00:55.590 provocative images of that whole bohemian scene. 00:00:55.789 --> 00:00:57.750 Provocative is definitely the word. He had this 00:00:57.750 --> 00:01:00.250 unblinking gaze, didn't shy away from the gritty 00:01:00.250 --> 00:01:02.609 reality, and he elevated commercial art, those 00:01:02.609 --> 00:01:05.609 posters, to something more. And the value placed 00:01:05.609 --> 00:01:08.450 on that vision today is just astounding. Remember 00:01:08.450 --> 00:01:11.569 that auction in 2005? Oh yeah, Christie's. Le 00:01:11.569 --> 00:01:14.329 Blanchisseuse. The laundress, an early work. 00:01:14.450 --> 00:01:18.510 Sold for over 22 million U .S. dollars. 22 .4 00:01:18.510 --> 00:01:21.890 million, yeah. For a painting of a laundress 00:01:21.890 --> 00:01:24.489 by a man descended from counts, it says everything 00:01:24.489 --> 00:01:26.909 about his unique position. It really does. An 00:01:26.909 --> 00:01:29.310 aristocrat, capturing the working class, the 00:01:29.310 --> 00:01:32.349 dancers, the prostitutes of Montmartre. Okay, 00:01:32.390 --> 00:01:34.250 let's start at the beginning then. His birthright. 00:01:34.599 --> 00:01:36.500 It's quite something. His full name alone tells 00:01:36.500 --> 00:01:39.939 a story. Henri -Marie Raymond de Toulouse -Lautrec 00:01:39.939 --> 00:01:43.519 Monfa, born November 24th, 1864. And not just 00:01:43.519 --> 00:01:45.599 anywhere, but at the Chateau de Basque, the family 00:01:45.599 --> 00:01:49.099 estate down in Aveyron. Proper aristocracy. We're 00:01:49.099 --> 00:01:51.640 talking ancient French lineage here, right? Counts 00:01:51.640 --> 00:01:53.599 of Toulouse, vie en pence of Montfort. Oh, the 00:01:53.599 --> 00:01:55.519 real deal. If he'd outlived his father, he would 00:01:55.519 --> 00:01:57.319 have been the Comte de Toulouse -Lautrec. Hunting, 00:01:57.959 --> 00:02:00.620 horses, high society. That was the expectation. 00:02:01.060 --> 00:02:03.299 But there's that genetic shadow looming almost 00:02:03.299 --> 00:02:05.879 immediately. His parents were first cousins. 00:02:06.280 --> 00:02:09.379 Yes, their mothers were sisters. A common practice 00:02:09.379 --> 00:02:12.219 among the aristocracy. Then, you know, consolidating 00:02:12.219 --> 00:02:14.599 wealth and titles. But with serious potential 00:02:14.599 --> 00:02:17.439 consequences. Exactly. Modern medical thinking 00:02:17.439 --> 00:02:20.360 points to this history of, well, inbreeding as 00:02:20.360 --> 00:02:22.719 a likely contributor to his later health problems, 00:02:22.879 --> 00:02:25.960 his congenital health conditions, as the sources 00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:28.340 put it. So the very system meant to preserve 00:02:28.340 --> 00:02:30.840 his status might have undermined his physical 00:02:30.840 --> 00:02:34.099 future. Well, it's a deep irony. But before that 00:02:34.099 --> 00:02:36.319 manifested, the artistic spark was already there. 00:02:36.599 --> 00:02:39.219 Right. Around age eight, living in Paris with 00:02:39.219 --> 00:02:42.050 his mother, he was always sketching. caricatures 00:02:42.050 --> 00:02:44.310 in his notebooks. Just constantly drawing. And 00:02:44.310 --> 00:02:47.069 he got some early informal Essex from a friend 00:02:47.069 --> 00:02:49.629 of his father's, Rene Pristow. Pristow specialized 00:02:49.629 --> 00:02:52.610 in horses, didn't he? He did. Very aristocratic 00:02:52.610 --> 00:02:55.389 subjects. And you know that early training in 00:02:55.389 --> 00:02:58.310 depicting movement, anatomy, it comes back later 00:02:58.310 --> 00:03:00.530 in Lautrich's circus paintings. Quite dynamic 00:03:00.530 --> 00:03:03.030 stuff. So even that traditional start had an 00:03:03.030 --> 00:03:05.590 influence. But then came the turning point, his 00:03:05.590 --> 00:03:08.169 teens. Yes, this is where everything changes. 00:03:08.229 --> 00:03:11.360 At 13, he breaks his right femur. Okay, a bad 00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:14.240 break, but maybe recoverable. But then, just 00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:17.560 a year later, age 14, he fractures the left one. 00:03:17.879 --> 00:03:20.340 And crucially, the sources all note the breaks 00:03:20.340 --> 00:03:23.360 did not heal properly. That's the key phrase. 00:03:23.819 --> 00:03:27.099 And the result. Devastating. His legs just stopped 00:03:27.099 --> 00:03:29.919 growing. He reached his adult height at 1 .52 00:03:29.919 --> 00:03:34.000 meters 5 feet tall. Adult torso, head, but the 00:03:34.000 --> 00:03:35.919 legs of a child. And the medical explanation 00:03:35.919 --> 00:03:38.460 now. It's thought to be a specific genetic disorder. 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:40.990 Well... The consensus points towards something 00:03:40.990 --> 00:03:43.409 genetic, though it wasn't diagnosable then, of 00:03:43.409 --> 00:03:46.530 course. Pycnodysostosis is one strong possibility 00:03:46.530 --> 00:03:49.330 it causes fragile bones, short stature. It's 00:03:49.330 --> 00:03:50.889 even sometimes called Toulouse -Lautrec syndrome. 00:03:51.129 --> 00:03:53.569 Because his case fits so well. Precisely. Brittle 00:03:53.569 --> 00:03:55.629 bones, the fractures just wouldn't heal right, 00:03:55.789 --> 00:03:58.509 stunted growth plate fusion. Other theories mention 00:03:58.509 --> 00:04:01.150 conditions like osteopetrosis, achondroplasia, 00:04:01.349 --> 00:04:03.930 osteogenesis imperfecta, variations on compromised 00:04:03.930 --> 00:04:06.990 bone growth. Whatever the exact cause, the impact 00:04:06.990 --> 00:04:09.479 was life -altering. The expected path -hunting 00:04:09.479 --> 00:04:12.580 military society just vanished. Completely. And 00:04:12.580 --> 00:04:15.460 that physical difference, that exclusion, arguably 00:04:15.460 --> 00:04:18.160 became the engine for his art. So the path forward 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:20.620 had to be different. He heads back to Paris in 00:04:20.620 --> 00:04:24.339 1882 to study art seriously. Yes, but initially, 00:04:24.600 --> 00:04:27.100 the family still hoped for a respectable career. 00:04:27.399 --> 00:04:30.139 They steered him towards Leon Bonnat, a well 00:04:30.139 --> 00:04:32.660 -known society portrait painter. The goal was 00:04:32.660 --> 00:04:36.379 still to be fashionable and respected. fit into 00:04:36.379 --> 00:04:39.079 their world. But Benat's academic style. Yeah. 00:04:39.339 --> 00:04:41.839 It just didn't click with Lautrec, too rigid. 00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:44.600 So when Banat moved on, Lautrec switched to Fernand 00:04:44.600 --> 00:04:47.819 Corman's studio. That was 1882 to 87. And Corman 00:04:47.819 --> 00:04:50.579 was more relaxed. Much more. Less formal instruction, 00:04:50.920 --> 00:04:54.100 more freedom. And Lautrec used that freedom to 00:04:54.100 --> 00:04:57.339 explore. To find Montmartre. Exactly. The bohemian 00:04:57.339 --> 00:04:59.660 heart of Paris. It became his world for the next 00:04:59.660 --> 00:05:02.839 20 years. The cafes, the studios, the nightlife. 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:05.019 And he found his people there, too. Other artists. 00:05:05.160 --> 00:05:07.689 Absolutely. At Corman's, he met Emile Bernard, 00:05:08.009 --> 00:05:10.290 Vincent Van Gogh. He actually painted Van Gogh's 00:05:10.290 --> 00:05:13.250 portrait in 1887. Imagine being in that circle. 00:05:13.490 --> 00:05:15.370 Incredible. He starts exhibiting, too, but not 00:05:15.370 --> 00:05:17.389 under his aristocratic name initially. No, he 00:05:17.389 --> 00:05:20.069 used a pseudonym for a show in Toulouse in 87, 00:05:20.389 --> 00:05:22.829 Triclot. Triclot. Latrike backwards, basically. 00:05:22.990 --> 00:05:25.850 Using that French slang, Verlan. Exactly. It's 00:05:25.850 --> 00:05:28.509 playful, a bit rebellious, like turning his high 00:05:28.509 --> 00:05:30.889 society name inside out, fitting for the world 00:05:30.889 --> 00:05:32.870 he was entering. His reputation grew quickly 00:05:32.870 --> 00:05:34.529 in those avant -garde circles, though. Oh, yes. 00:05:34.910 --> 00:05:38.670 By 1888, he's showing 11 works at the Vente exhibition 00:05:38.670 --> 00:05:40.850 in Brussels. That was a big deal. Very cutting 00:05:40.850 --> 00:05:43.189 edge. And Van Gogh's brother, Theo, bought one 00:05:43.189 --> 00:05:45.670 of his pieces there. He did. Pouge de Riz rice 00:05:45.670 --> 00:05:49.129 powder for 150 francs. A nice bit of validation 00:05:49.129 --> 00:05:52.029 early on. And he was a regular at the Salon des 00:05:52.029 --> 00:05:55.189 Indépendants in Paris from 89 to 94. So he's 00:05:55.189 --> 00:05:57.930 making his mark professionally. But his personal 00:05:57.930 --> 00:06:01.100 life in Montmartre was just as intense. Suzanne 00:06:01.100 --> 00:06:04.399 Valadon. Ah, yes. Met her in 1885. She was an 00:06:04.399 --> 00:06:06.439 artist, started as a model. They were likely 00:06:06.439 --> 00:06:08.720 lovers. He really supported her art, painted 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:11.139 her several times. But that ended badly. Very 00:06:11.139 --> 00:06:13.560 badly. Yeah. Sources say she attempted suicide 00:06:13.560 --> 00:06:16.459 in 1888 after their relationship ended. It highlights 00:06:16.459 --> 00:06:20.040 the volatile emotional landscape of that world. 00:06:20.199 --> 00:06:22.339 Definitely. But he also showed fierce loyalty, 00:06:22.519 --> 00:06:24.939 didn't he? Especially defending Van Gogh. That 00:06:24.939 --> 00:06:27.939 duel story, it's amazing. At that Brussels exhibition 00:06:27.939 --> 00:06:32.279 banquet in 1890, some Belgian artist, Henri de 00:06:32.279 --> 00:06:35.000 Gruy, starts bad -mathing Van Gogh's work. And 00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:37.240 Lautrec, despite his physical challenges, steps 00:06:37.240 --> 00:06:40.480 up. Immediately challenges de Gruy to a duel, 00:06:40.579 --> 00:06:42.860 can you imagine? And then Paul Signac, another 00:06:42.860 --> 00:06:45.300 major painter, offers to fight in his place if 00:06:45.300 --> 00:06:48.060 Lautrec gets killed. Wow. That's dedication. 00:06:48.399 --> 00:06:50.639 The threat worked. DeGruy backed down, apologized, 00:06:51.139 --> 00:06:53.579 duel called off. But it shows Lautrec's spirit. 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:56.899 Fierce. Defiant. And that defiance shows in his 00:06:56.899 --> 00:07:00.000 work, too. Even amidst the nightlife, he's still 00:07:00.000 --> 00:07:02.339 painting landscapes. Yeah, doing some en plein 00:07:02.339 --> 00:07:04.980 air work in Montmartre in Perforet's garden. 00:07:05.240 --> 00:07:07.600 That's where he painted Carmen Godin, the model 00:07:07.600 --> 00:07:09.319 with the striking red hair. The one from the 00:07:09.319 --> 00:07:11.689 laundress. A multi -million dollar painting. 00:07:11.870 --> 00:07:14.490 The very same. So you see him blending that traditional 00:07:14.490 --> 00:07:16.930 practice with these very modern, non -traditional 00:07:16.930 --> 00:07:19.470 subjects. That's pure Lautrec. Okay, let's talk 00:07:19.470 --> 00:07:21.029 about the place that really made him famous. 00:07:21.209 --> 00:07:25.250 Yeah. The Moulin Rouge. Opened in 1889. A landmark 00:07:25.250 --> 00:07:28.410 moment for Paris and for Lautrec. He was commissioned 00:07:28.410 --> 00:07:30.689 right away to do their posters. And this was 00:07:30.689 --> 00:07:32.790 important for him personally, not just professionally. 00:07:33.189 --> 00:07:35.810 Beyond the family money. Very important. The 00:07:35.810 --> 00:07:38.149 sources really emphasize this. Having his own 00:07:38.149 --> 00:07:40.699 income. earned through his art, even commercial 00:07:40.699 --> 00:07:43.279 art, that meant a lot, psychological independence. 00:07:43.660 --> 00:07:46.420 And he basically reinvented the poster. Turned 00:07:46.420 --> 00:07:48.720 it into art. Absolutely. And the Moulin Rouge 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:50.879 knew what they had. They gave him his own reserved 00:07:50.879 --> 00:07:53.560 seat, displayed his paintings. He wasn't just 00:07:53.560 --> 00:07:55.600 a contractor. He was their artist in residence 00:07:55.600 --> 00:07:58.319 almost. And through those posters, he made the 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:02.160 performers into icons. Icons. Instantly recognizable. 00:08:02.540 --> 00:08:04.939 Yvette Gilbert, the singer. With the long black 00:08:04.939 --> 00:08:07.560 gloves, he captured her look perfectly. And the 00:08:07.560 --> 00:08:10.850 dancers, Louise Weber -Lagoulou. The glutton. 00:08:10.949 --> 00:08:14.089 The inventor of the can -can. His posters of 00:08:14.089 --> 00:08:16.550 her just explode with energy. The high kicks, 00:08:16.709 --> 00:08:19.730 the frills, pure, uninhibited performance. Total 00:08:19.730 --> 00:08:22.610 dynamism. But then contrast her with Jane Averill. 00:08:22.730 --> 00:08:24.850 Much more subtle. Right. Yeah, he depicts her 00:08:24.850 --> 00:08:28.629 differently. More sinuous, elegant lines. Almost 00:08:28.629 --> 00:08:31.029 melancholic sometimes. He captured her unique 00:08:31.029 --> 00:08:33.509 style perfectly. La Melanite, they called her 00:08:33.509 --> 00:08:36.309 that mix of quietness and sudden bursts of energy. 00:08:36.529 --> 00:08:39.779 He got it. And his posters were everywhere. Other 00:08:39.779 --> 00:08:42.259 venues commissioned him, too. Oh, yes. Café des 00:08:42.259 --> 00:08:45.480 Ambassadeurs. That led to the famous poster of 00:08:45.480 --> 00:08:49.139 his friend Aristide Bruant in 1892. The black 00:08:49.139 --> 00:08:53.659 cape. The red scarf. Unmistakable. He was illustrating 00:08:53.659 --> 00:08:56.120 for magazines, too, like Le Rire. Right. In the 00:08:56.120 --> 00:08:58.600 mid -90s, he was shaping the visual culture of 00:08:58.600 --> 00:09:00.639 Paris nightlife. But even with all that success, 00:09:01.019 --> 00:09:03.679 his deepest artistic focus seems to have been 00:09:03.679 --> 00:09:07.539 somewhere else. Further down the social ladder. 00:09:07.799 --> 00:09:11.340 Yes. The brothels. He was genuinely fascinated, 00:09:11.480 --> 00:09:13.879 as the sources say, by the lives of prostitutes, 00:09:13.879 --> 00:09:16.740 the whole urban underclass. And this wasn't just 00:09:16.740 --> 00:09:19.200 popping in for a quick sketch. He spent real 00:09:19.200 --> 00:09:21.870 time there. A lot of time. Lived alongside them 00:09:21.870 --> 00:09:24.149 in a way. Stayed frequently at places like the 00:09:24.149 --> 00:09:26.070 one on Rue d 'Amboise. He wasn't just an observer, 00:09:26.190 --> 00:09:28.389 he was immersed. And the art that came out of 00:09:28.389 --> 00:09:30.490 that? It's incredible. Around 100 drawings, 50 00:09:30.490 --> 00:09:32.990 paintings. And they're not sensationalized. Often 00:09:32.990 --> 00:09:35.669 they show boredom, fatigue, companionship. Like 00:09:35.669 --> 00:09:38.429 the Lely series, The Bed. Often just two women 00:09:38.429 --> 00:09:42.309 together, resting. Exactly. Quiet moments. Or 00:09:42.309 --> 00:09:45.250 the big painting, Salon de la Rue des Moulins, 00:09:45.429 --> 00:09:48.230 painted from memory but with such detail. The 00:09:48.230 --> 00:09:51.330 women waiting. There's a dignity there. He explained 00:09:51.330 --> 00:09:53.429 why he preferred them as subjects, didn't he? 00:09:53.490 --> 00:09:55.950 Something about models being stuffed dolls. He 00:09:55.950 --> 00:09:58.470 did. He said, a model is always a stuffed doll, 00:09:58.570 --> 00:10:01.309 but these women are alive. He felt they were 00:10:01.309 --> 00:10:03.789 authentic, no pretense. He liked their lack of 00:10:03.789 --> 00:10:05.789 conceit, how they'd just relax like animals. 00:10:05.929 --> 00:10:08.110 And then that absolutely heartbreaking quote, 00:10:08.230 --> 00:10:10.269 the one that connects it all back to his own 00:10:10.269 --> 00:10:12.929 experience. I have found girls of my own size. 00:10:13.129 --> 00:10:15.230 Nowhere else do I feel so much at home. It's 00:10:15.230 --> 00:10:17.549 devastating, isn't it? That's the key. His fellow 00:10:17.549 --> 00:10:20.610 painter VR said Lautrec's reasons were moral 00:10:20.610 --> 00:10:24.009 ones. Meaning? Meaning Lautrec, this physical 00:10:24.009 --> 00:10:26.929 freak, as VR put it, and a mystocrat cut off 00:10:26.929 --> 00:10:29.490 by his appearance, felt a deep kinship with these 00:10:29.490 --> 00:10:32.129 women, excluded in their own way. Their moral 00:10:32.129 --> 00:10:35.350 penury, their marginalization, it mirrored his 00:10:35.350 --> 00:10:37.830 own physical and social isolation. So he wasn't 00:10:37.830 --> 00:10:39.649 just painting subjects, he was painting kindred 00:10:39.649 --> 00:10:43.870 spirits, granting them artistic permanence. Precisely. 00:10:43.889 --> 00:10:46.830 His disability wasn't just a limitation. It was 00:10:46.830 --> 00:10:49.929 his entry point, his unique lens onto this hidden 00:10:49.929 --> 00:10:52.210 world. It's incredible how much work he produced 00:10:52.210 --> 00:10:54.470 in such a short career. Less than 20 years, right? 00:10:54.629 --> 00:10:57.009 Yeah, and plagued by health issues and later 00:10:57.009 --> 00:11:01.669 alcoholism. But the output is just immense. What 00:11:01.669 --> 00:11:04.549 are the numbers again? Over 700 paintings, nearly 00:11:04.549 --> 00:11:08.889 300 watercolors, over 350 prints and posters, 00:11:09.049 --> 00:11:13.779 and get this, over 5 ,000 drawings. Plus ceramics, 00:11:13.779 --> 00:11:16.820 stained glass. 5 ,000 drawings. He must have 00:11:16.820 --> 00:11:18.899 had a sketchbook glued to his hand. Just constantly 00:11:18.899 --> 00:11:22.100 observing, constantly capturing a visual recording 00:11:22.100 --> 00:11:24.519 machine. And stylistically, while he was revolutionary, 00:11:24.700 --> 00:11:27.909 he did build on what came before. The Impressionists. 00:11:27.990 --> 00:11:30.350 Oh, definitely. You see echoes of Manet and his 00:11:30.350 --> 00:11:32.690 bar and club scenes, that sense of modern life, 00:11:32.750 --> 00:11:35.330 maybe a touch of alienation. And Degas, for sure, 00:11:35.330 --> 00:11:37.409 the dancers, the movement, the behind -the -scenes 00:11:37.409 --> 00:11:39.629 glimpses. But the really transformative influence, 00:11:39.830 --> 00:11:41.570 especially for the posters, came from Japan. 00:11:41.750 --> 00:11:43.909 Absolutely. Ukiyo -e woodblock prints, they were 00:11:43.909 --> 00:11:46.690 hugely popular in Paris. Then, Japonism, they 00:11:46.690 --> 00:11:48.409 called it. And what did he take from that? The 00:11:48.409 --> 00:11:51.269 flat perspectives, the bold outlines, the unusual 00:11:51.269 --> 00:11:54.669 cropping, the focus on line over shading, it 00:11:54.669 --> 00:11:57.049 fundamentally shaped his approach. You can see 00:11:57.049 --> 00:12:00.049 it in his technique. Very linear. Highly linear. 00:12:00.190 --> 00:12:03.470 Strong contours defining the figures and the 00:12:03.470 --> 00:12:06.250 way he applied paint. often thin washes long 00:12:06.250 --> 00:12:08.590 brush strokes letting the cardboard or canvas 00:12:08.590 --> 00:12:10.710 show through so they almost look like colored 00:12:10.710 --> 00:12:13.429 drawings sometimes exactly that's a great description 00:12:13.429 --> 00:12:16.610 from the sources drawings in colored paint it 00:12:16.610 --> 00:12:19.840 gave his work speed immediacy A graphic punch. 00:12:20.100 --> 00:12:22.039 And he used that style to capture individuals 00:12:22.039 --> 00:12:24.720 so effectively. Not just types, but specific 00:12:24.720 --> 00:12:27.240 people. Absolutely. Even in a crowded cabaret 00:12:27.240 --> 00:12:29.960 scene, his figures are distinct. You could identify 00:12:29.960 --> 00:12:32.779 Lagulu or Jane Averill just by their silhouette. 00:12:32.799 --> 00:12:35.460 He was a master observer of posture, gesture. 00:12:35.480 --> 00:12:38.500 And his attitude towards them. Sometimes sympathetic, 00:12:38.779 --> 00:12:41.059 sometimes quite detached. Yes, it varied. You 00:12:41.059 --> 00:12:43.139 feel empathy for the women in the brothel pantings, 00:12:43.139 --> 00:12:45.200 their vulnerability. But then he could be... 00:12:45.659 --> 00:12:48.019 Quite coolly observational, almost clinical when 00:12:48.019 --> 00:12:51.360 depicting the less savory aspects of the wealthy 00:12:51.360 --> 00:12:53.759 patrons. He just showed it like it was. He also 00:12:53.759 --> 00:12:55.940 had connections outside France, particularly 00:12:55.940 --> 00:12:58.519 London. His family helped there. His family were 00:12:58.519 --> 00:13:00.960 Anglophiles, yeah. And he spoke English reasonably 00:13:00.960 --> 00:13:03.179 well, so he traveled to London for work. Got 00:13:03.179 --> 00:13:06.480 commissions. He did. J &E Bella Company hired 00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:09.000 him for a poster for paper confetti. Apparently, 00:13:09.200 --> 00:13:11.759 plaster confetti got banned after a messy Mardi 00:13:11.759 --> 00:13:15.230 Gras. Huh. Necessity is the mother of invention 00:13:15.230 --> 00:13:18.649 and poster commissions. Seems so. And he did 00:13:18.649 --> 00:13:21.669 that great bicycle ad too, Lashane Simpson. Showed 00:13:21.669 --> 00:13:23.889 how well his style worked for commercial products. 00:13:24.250 --> 00:13:26.490 And in London, he connected with Oscar Wilde. 00:13:26.529 --> 00:13:29.649 Yes, became friends. And Lautrec was a strong 00:13:29.649 --> 00:13:32.789 supporter when Wilde faced his trials in 1895. 00:13:33.029 --> 00:13:35.610 He painted Wilde that same year, didn't he? He 00:13:35.610 --> 00:13:38.409 did. Painted his portrait right in the midst 00:13:38.409 --> 00:13:41.299 of that scandal. It's another example of Lautrec 00:13:41.299 --> 00:13:43.860 standing by someone marginalized, an outcast 00:13:43.860 --> 00:13:46.320 from high society, just like he connected with 00:13:46.320 --> 00:13:49.360 the outcasts of Montmartre. It ties his art to 00:13:49.360 --> 00:13:51.779 the big moral dramas of the time. Okay, before 00:13:51.779 --> 00:13:54.240 we get to the sad final chapter, there's this 00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:57.139 completely unexpected side to Lautrec we have 00:13:57.139 --> 00:13:59.799 to talk about, the gourmet. It seems so out of 00:13:59.799 --> 00:14:02.299 character with the usual image, doesn't it? But 00:14:02.299 --> 00:14:05.519 yes. Like Monet, he was known as a serious food 00:14:05.519 --> 00:14:08.080 lover, one of the most serious gourmets among 00:14:08.080 --> 00:14:10.399 the artists. His cousins apparently called him 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:12.940 Henri the Cook before he was famous. That's right. 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:15.419 He don't just like eating. He loved cooking, 00:14:15.639 --> 00:14:17.940 planning meals, the whole presentation. It was 00:14:17.940 --> 00:14:20.220 another art form for him. Designing menus as 00:14:20.220 --> 00:14:23.269 artworks. Hosting these legendary parties. Oh, 00:14:23.409 --> 00:14:27.190 the parties. That 1895 bash at the Natanson's 00:14:27.190 --> 00:14:31.149 place is famous. 300 guests. Supposedly 2 ,000 00:14:31.149 --> 00:14:33.950 cocktails served. And Lautrec was the chef and 00:14:33.950 --> 00:14:35.909 bartender for the whole thing. Sole chef and 00:14:35.909 --> 00:14:38.269 bartender. Apparently he even dressed the part 00:14:38.269 --> 00:14:41.529 white linen jacket, shaved head, no beard. Quite 00:14:41.529 --> 00:14:44.210 the performance. And the kicker is, despite all 00:14:44.210 --> 00:14:46.539 the booze flowing. He was reportedly the only 00:14:46.539 --> 00:14:48.620 one still standing, sober, at the end of the 00:14:48.620 --> 00:14:50.620 night. Shows a certain kind of control, at least 00:14:50.620 --> 00:14:52.919 when he was orchestrating the event. That control 00:14:52.919 --> 00:14:55.360 didn't last, unfortunately. But his food legacy 00:14:55.360 --> 00:14:58.320 did. There's a cookbook. There is. His friend, 00:14:58.440 --> 00:15:00.879 Maurice Joyant, published his recipes after his 00:15:00.879 --> 00:15:04.740 death. La cuisine de Monsieur Momo, célibataire 00:15:04.740 --> 00:15:08.399 Mr. Momo's cooking, bachelor style, later revised 00:15:08.399 --> 00:15:11.399 as l 'art de la cuisine. With his signature cattle 00:15:11.399 --> 00:15:14.200 and salad recipe in there. Among 150 others, 00:15:14.519 --> 00:15:17.100 Charles Stuckey, the art historian, called it 00:15:17.100 --> 00:15:19.980 the first cookbook published by an artist, posthumously, 00:15:20.000 --> 00:15:22.659 of course, a unique footnote to his career. But 00:15:22.659 --> 00:15:25.679 that control we mentioned, it clearly slipped. 00:15:25.879 --> 00:15:28.399 The alcoholism became overwhelming. It really 00:15:28.399 --> 00:15:31.379 did. And biographers often link it back to the 00:15:31.379 --> 00:15:33.860 constant mockery he faced about his height, his 00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:36.419 appearance, alcohol as an escape from that pain. 00:15:36.639 --> 00:15:38.779 And it escalated from beer and wine. The spirits, 00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:42.399 especially absinthe, the green fairy. became 00:15:42.399 --> 00:15:44.639 his go -to. He even invented a cocktail, didn't 00:15:44.639 --> 00:15:46.659 he? The earthquake. The tremblement de terre. 00:15:46.820 --> 00:15:49.620 Sounds terrifying. Half absinthe, half cognac 00:15:49.620 --> 00:15:52.480 in a wine glass. Good grief. That's not sipping. 00:15:52.480 --> 00:15:54.620 That's aiming for oblivion. Pretty much signals 00:15:54.620 --> 00:15:56.620 the intent, doesn't it? And he made sure it was 00:15:56.620 --> 00:15:58.899 always available. The hollowed out cane? Yeah, 00:15:58.960 --> 00:16:01.200 kept it filled with liquor. His addiction literally 00:16:01.200 --> 00:16:03.460 built into his walking aid. Constant access. 00:16:03.820 --> 00:16:07.399 The inevitable crash came in 1899. February 99. 00:16:08.279 --> 00:16:10.899 Collapsed from exhaustion, chronic alcoholism, 00:16:10.940 --> 00:16:13.700 his family had him committed fully St. James 00:16:13.700 --> 00:16:15.820 sanatorium. How long was he there? Three months. 00:16:16.039 --> 00:16:18.820 But even inside, he kept working. Produced those 00:16:18.820 --> 00:16:22.139 39 circus drawings, proving his sanity through 00:16:22.139 --> 00:16:24.279 his art, essentially. He got out, but the decline 00:16:24.279 --> 00:16:28.279 continued. Sadly, yes. The damage was done. Alcoholism, 00:16:28.279 --> 00:16:30.100 combined with a syphilis contracted earlier, 00:16:30.360 --> 00:16:32.820 his health just fell apart physically and mentally. 00:16:33.100 --> 00:16:36.490 And he died so young. 36. Passed away on September 00:16:36.490 --> 00:16:39.909 9th, 1901, back at his mother's estate, Chateau 00:16:39.909 --> 00:16:43.210 Malromé. Such a short, intense life. Any record 00:16:43.210 --> 00:16:46.470 of his final words? Reportedly, Le Vieux Comte, 00:16:46.470 --> 00:16:49.230 the old fool. Possibly aimed at his father, who 00:16:49.230 --> 00:16:51.710 was present. A bitter end. But his art lived 00:16:51.710 --> 00:16:54.230 on, thanks to his mother and Joël. They were 00:16:54.230 --> 00:16:56.769 instrumental. Promoted his work, helped fund 00:16:56.769 --> 00:16:59.190 the Musée Toulouse -Lautrec in Albi, his hometown. 00:16:59.509 --> 00:17:01.470 It now holds the world's largest collection. 00:17:01.629 --> 00:17:04.349 His legacy was secured. What a journey we've 00:17:04.349 --> 00:17:07.430 traced. The highest aristocracy, the debilitating 00:17:07.430 --> 00:17:10.390 disability, cutting him off, finding this new 00:17:10.390 --> 00:17:13.049 home, this connection in the lowest rungs of 00:17:13.049 --> 00:17:15.849 Montmartre society. And then that hidden talent 00:17:15.849 --> 00:17:17.950 for cooking. The contrasts are just staggering. 00:17:18.109 --> 00:17:21.309 But his art, it's all about that honest observation. 00:17:21.410 --> 00:17:24.869 He didn't judge. He just saw. And he immortalized 00:17:24.869 --> 00:17:27.650 people. Le Goulou, Jane Averill, the anonymous 00:17:27.650 --> 00:17:29.410 women in the brothels, giving them a permanent 00:17:29.410 --> 00:17:32.890 society, denied them. He truly elevated the poster, 00:17:33.049 --> 00:17:35.430 the everyday image, into fine art. It really 00:17:35.430 --> 00:17:38.049 seems like his difference, his exclusion became 00:17:38.049 --> 00:17:40.970 his superpower as an artist. It gave him access 00:17:40.970 --> 00:17:42.990 and empathy no one else in his original circle 00:17:42.990 --> 00:17:44.910 could have had. I think that's absolutely right. 00:17:44.990 --> 00:17:47.150 He was forced outside. And from that vantage 00:17:47.150 --> 00:17:49.430 point, he saw things more clearly, perhaps more 00:17:49.430 --> 00:17:51.670 truthfully, which leaves us with a thought, doesn't 00:17:51.670 --> 00:17:53.789 it, for you, the listener? Yeah. What unique 00:17:53.789 --> 00:17:56.730 knowledge, what kind of insight really can only 00:17:56.730 --> 00:17:59.329 be gained when you're forced or maybe. choose 00:17:59.329 --> 00:18:02.069 to stand completely outside the usual expectations. 00:18:02.549 --> 00:18:04.990 When you observe from the margins, Lautrec's 00:18:04.990 --> 00:18:07.130 life suggests there's a profound, if difficult, 00:18:07.250 --> 00:18:08.250 truth to be found there.