Le Jockey - Toulouse Lautrec

This rare lithograph was created by Henri de Toulouse Laurec in 1899, at the height of his career. Originally intended as one part in a series of equestrian scenes for sale to collectors, this is the only image to have been actually sent to print. The expressionistic and energetically drawn style captures both the spirit of an exciting horse race, as well as the style more frequently used by the artist is his paintings rather than his prints. Much more detail is seen in this print than that of Lautrec's posters, which embraced more of the flattened planes of Japanese woodcuts. Large and simplified shapes of bold color are replaced here with intricate cross-hatching and shaded dimension. This print was created in a period of the artists' life in which he was hospitalized for his physical and mental health in the French countryside, after which he promptly returned to Paris to continue his well-documented life of debauchery.

This is the from the second state of two printings, in an edition of approximately 112.

Henri de Toulouse Lautrec (1864-1901), had a short life in which he created an extensive amount of groundbreaking art in the form of paintings, drawings, and prints. Born into an aristocratic family, Lautrec had a series of birth defects as a result of genetic inbreeding. Stunted in height (he was under 5 feet tall) and emotionally damaged from a sterile childhood, Lautrec lived a life in the shadows. His bohemian lifestyle in the Montmartre neighborhood of Paris inspired Lautrec to highlight the darker underbelly of Parisian society. This alternative lifestyle manifested itself directly in Lautrec’s art – broad flat planes of color were drawn from his time in opium dens filled with Asian woodblock prints, strong shadows came from his nightly visits to the Moulin Rouge (where he had a reserved seat) with its warm gas lighting, and his fervent use of line stemmed from the joie de vivre that flowed out of the cabaret and can-can moves of the Parisian stage performers.

This is an Original Vintage Poster; it is not a reproduction. This poster is mounted, backed onto Japan, and in excellent condition. We guarantee the authenticity all our posters.