Toulouse-Lautrec’s “La Goulue au Moulin Rouge” (1891) Versus Milton Glaser’s “Sound of Harlem” (1964)
I will be discussing two iconic works of art: Henri Toulouse-Lautrec’s “La Goulue au Moulin Rouge” (1891) of the Art Nouveau period and Milton Glaser’s “Sound of Harlem” (1964) of the Postmodern period. There are parallels between the two pieces due to the influence of Art Nouveau on Glaser.
I was drawn to Toulouse-Lautrec’s poster not just because of the colorful imagery and Art Nouveau style, but also because of his story and the subject matter. Toulouse-Lautrec was disabled, having stunted his leg growth after a tragic injury. He dealt with being different by immersing himself in art, training very hard as it was something he was still able to do after his injury. He was an adventurous French illustrator, experimenting with new styles and influences from around the world. Another consequence of his physical appearance was his extreme nightlife. He escaped from reality by frequenting the dark bars of the cabarets. He designed many posters for these cabarets through very informal commissions, such as the Moulin Rouge. In this poster for La Goulue (“The Glutton”), a can-can dancer, Toulouse-Lautrec draws the performer provocatively with her petticoat very much exposed underneath her skirt. The lines are very thin and sparse, and her figure appears as one simplified mass with flat planes of subtle color. The audience behind her is depicted as a single black silhouette of heads, all connected and without detail. There is a figure in front of La Goulue is Valentine, who performs a very snake-like dance. Valentine is depicted who is a composed of a single gray, stippled texture with black outlines. The figure, while closer to the viewer, appears actually less detailed and more silhouette-like than La Goulue. Both figures display movement in their shapes, almost as if you could hear the music they were dancing to. The top of the poster is very text heavy, with the words “Moulin Rouge” repeated three times along with other descriptors. There are also lighter,
I was drawn to Toulouse-Lautrec’s poster not just because of the colorful imagery and Art Nouveau style, but also because of his story and the subject matter. Toulouse-Lautrec was disabled, having stunted his leg growth after a tragic injury. He dealt with being different by immersing himself in art, training very hard as it was something he was still able to do after his injury. He was an adventurous French illustrator, experimenting with new styles and influences from around the world. Another consequence of his physical appearance was his extreme nightlife. He escaped from reality by frequenting the dark bars of the cabarets. He designed many posters for these cabarets through very informal commissions, such as the Moulin Rouge. In this poster for La Goulue (“The Glutton”), a can-can dancer, Toulouse-Lautrec draws the performer provocatively with her petticoat very much exposed underneath her skirt. The lines are very thin and sparse, and her figure appears as one simplified mass with flat planes of subtle color. The audience behind her is depicted as a single black silhouette of heads, all connected and without detail. There is a figure in front of La Goulue is Valentine, who performs a very snake-like dance. Valentine is depicted who is a composed of a single gray, stippled texture with black outlines. The figure, while closer to the viewer, appears actually less detailed and more silhouette-like than La Goulue. Both figures display movement in their shapes, almost as if you could hear the music they were dancing to. The top of the poster is very text heavy, with the words “Moulin Rouge” repeated three times along with other descriptors. There are also lighter,