Woman before a Mirror 1897

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec made this painting with oil on cardboard, a method of production which was far from the established techniques of classical fine art. The rough, absorbent qualities of the cardboard support allowed for a quick, almost slapdash execution. If you look closely, you can see that Lautrec applied thin layers of diluted oil paint, letting the brown tone of the cardboard peek through. It lends the artwork a sense of immediacy, as if capturing a fleeting moment. Lautrec, an aristocrat himself, immersed himself in the demimonde of Montmartre. His works often portray the lives of performers, prostitutes, and other marginalized figures, imbuing his images with an intimate, voyeuristic quality. This approach humanized his subjects and offered a glimpse into a world often overlooked or deliberately ignored by mainstream society. By choosing non-traditional materials and portraying subjects from the fringes of society, Lautrec challenged the established conventions of the art world and blurred the lines between high art and everyday life.