Montville "U": Toulouse-Lautrec, Suzanne Valadon and the Parisian Demi-Monde - Part I

Art Talk by Janet Mandel

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a Post-Impressionist painter, printmaker, and illustrator who immersed himself in the colorful and sometimes decadent world of Paris’s circuses, theaters, cabarets, and brothels. He recorded his experiences in enticing, elegant, and provocative images, which we will explore as we learn about his brief, extraordinary life in part I of this talk. In part II we will learn about his most important muse Suzanne Valadon, the illegitimate daughter of a sewing maid whose formal education ended at age eleven. Suzanne worked as a circus acrobat and artists’ model and gleaned what she could about painting by watching and listening to the men who put her image on canvas. But Toulouse-Lautrec was her most important artistic influence. Under his tutelage she began to paint and created powerful, unconventional images, principally of women. Although mostly unknown today, she is regarded by scholars as an important chronicler of women’s experiences. Her paintings remain fresh and modern, cementing her legacy as a significant figure in the history of art.  Adults only.  Registration required.