Woman Lying on Her Back, Both Arms Raised 1895

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec created this drawing, "Woman Lying on Her Back, Both Arms Raised," with pencil, crayon, and gouache on cardboard. The composition is immediately striking, with the figure's limbs and torso forming a dynamic, almost circular arrangement against the neutral background. The color palette is restrained, dominated by earthy browns and punctuated by touches of white, red, and blue. Lautrec's use of line is particularly expressive; observe the contrast between the bold strokes defining the arms and the delicate lines suggesting the contours of the body. This is an example of how Lautrec used form to destabilize traditional artistic conventions. The figure’s pose, with arms raised above her head, creates a sense of vulnerability and openness. Lautrec challenges traditional notions of beauty and representation by focusing on the raw physicality and emotional complexity of his subject. The drawing functions as more than a mere depiction of a woman; it’s an exploration of form, line, and the interplay between visibility and concealment. This invites us to question our assumptions about how bodies are represented and perceived.