Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864–1901)
Moulin de la Galette
INV-1466
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864–1901)1889
Moulin de la Galette
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864–1901) →Post-Impressionismnineteenth century19th centuryoil on canvaspaint
Date
1889
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
88.5 × 101.3 cm (35 7/8 × 39 5/8 in.); Framed: 109.3 × 123.2 × 12.1 cm (43 × 48 1/2 × 4 3/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Larned Coburn Memorial Collection
With this painting of the dance hall known as the Moulin de la Galette, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec established his reputation as the chronicler of the Montmartre district’s famed nightlife. A wooden barrier bisects the composition, dividing the frenzied action of the dance floor in the background from the stillness of the women waiting in the foreground. Toulouse-Lautrec used turpentine to thin his paint and applied it in loose washes, a technique known as peinture à l’essence. The result is a sketchy style that conveys both the immediacy of the artist’s observations and the tawdry atmosphere of his subject.
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