French painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec suffered frequent ridicule because of his 4 1/2-foot stature and unusual frame. After he broke one leg at age 12 and the other at age 14, both legs stopped growing while the rest of his body continued to grow. He sought solace in creative art and alcohol. His severe alcohol addiction led to an early death at age 36 in 1901, but his large collection of artwork is still highly regarded and studied in art and art history classes worldwide. Much of Toulouse-Lautrec's work depicts nudity or sexual content, so be selective in which art pieces you share with young people in Toulouse-Lautrec-inspired art projects.
Posters
Toulouse-Lautrec was famous for his poster designs, which touted artists and the Parisian nightlife of places like Moulin Rouge. His style of poster art featured mostly solid, bold colors, with black lines and little to no detail or shading. Objects or people in the background were simply made into solid black shapes or outlined figures filled with gray. Show students examples of the artist's famous posters, such as those of French performers Aristide Bruant, a singer/comedian/nightclub owner, and Jane Avril, a can-can dancer. Ask students to create their own posters, using the same artistic style, for an upcoming concert or event in the community or their own school. The poster might depict a musical artist, dancer or other figure. Have students lightly draw their designs on paper with pencil, then trace over the outlines and facial features with black marker and fill them in with bold paint colors.
Observational Paintings
A majority of Toulouse-Lautrec's time was spent sketching people he observed in nightclubs and later transforming the sketches into paintings. Many showed women dancing or people mingling and chatting. Toulouse-Lautrec's post-impressionist paintings took a different artistic approach than his posters, typically containing more subjective involvement and more definitive brush strokes. Show students several examples of the artist's paintings depicting Parisian nightlife, and note the differences between his paintings and posters. Instruct students to sit at a local coffee shop, restaurant, playground or other location where people hang out and make sketches of interesting persons or groups. Have them bring the sketches into class and turn one into a painting in the style of Toulouse-Lautrec.
Reproductions
Horses from the racetrack and circus, as well as clowns and other circus performers, were also favorite subjects for Toulouse-Lautrec's art. Give each student a copy of one of these paintings. Have the students trace the basic outline of their artwork onto a blank sheet of paper, using transfer paper. Instruct them to try to re-create, as closely as they can, the original copy of the painting that they were given with paint, colored pencils, pastels or a mixture of mediums. This project encourages students to study Toulouse-Lautrec's depiction of forms, lines and color, and to see their own artwork in individual parts rather than as a whole.
Nudes
For college art students, focus on the art of Toulouse-Lautrec in figure or life drawing art classes to further study the human form and the artist's distinct style in painting nudes and capturing the female body. Have a female nude model strike a pose similar to that of one of the women in Toulouse-Lautrec's famous paintings, such as "Red-Headed Nude Crouching" or "Reclining Nude." Ask students to try to emulate the artist's style with pastels.
