Working in downtown Washington, DC, fifty years ago meant that at lunch I occasionally walked to the National Gallery of Art where at the time, the gallery showed films about various artists. One of the films was about Toulouse-Lautrec. I remember only that I liked him and was very surprised by his art.

The Shy Museumgoer has a lovely article about his art and life here. https://theshymuseumgoer.com/2025/09/05/explore-empathy-in-toulouse-lautrec-paintings/ The sweeping lines of paint that Toulouse-Lautrec uses to outline people’s bodies contrasts vividly with the precision, the great detail, of the faces he paints.

The National Gallery of Art has a fair number of his works but I really liked this one.

Miss May Belfort, Large Plate (Miss May Belfort, grande planche) 1895 Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Artist, French, 1864 – 1901 From the archives of the National Gallery of Art, DC

https://www.nga.gov/artworks/42118-miss-may-belfort-large-plate-miss-may-belfort-grande-planche

The Header for this post is another painting by Toulouse-Lautrec The Trap. 1880. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec Painter, French, 1864 – 1901 From the archives of the National Gallery of Art, DC It is not a common subject of his but the brushstrokes are interesting. https://www.nga.gov/artworks/89686-trap