Entry of Cha u Kao 1896

Curator: So, we’re looking at "Entry of Cha u Kao" by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, created in 1896. This piece, currently housed at the Brooklyn Museum, uses ink and pen to capture a performance scene. Editor: Immediately, there's this energetic whirlwind feeling—a raw, almost frantic sense of movement. It’s as though Lautrec captured a fleeting moment of a dazzling, chaotic parade. Curator: Lautrec was deeply embedded in the Parisian entertainment scene. This piece reflects that—particularly in his focus on popular performers. The quick, gestural lines were part of the artist's exploration of commercial art. Editor: Exactly! I feel the ink bleeding into the page; it amplifies the whole impressionistic atmosphere. It’s not just the subject matter—the ink *itself* feels theatrical, like smoky, smoky Paris. Curator: Absolutely. We can appreciate how Lautrec uses simple materials – pen and ink – to illustrate a particular segment of Parisian working class in Montmartre. The act of drawing with such immediacy brings attention to the printing production in those years. Editor: It’s so fascinating! And this female figure, riding a horse! She exudes a palpable charisma, a rebellious streak that simply radiates through those hastily drawn lines. The faces in the stands seem rather intrigued. Curator: Her costume would have been designed by a team of artisans working around the clock to complete the clothing. So the "gestural" drawing gives a false pretense for spontaneity; those are not spontaneous at all. Editor: True, true. There’s something deeply knowing in her gesture, something very calculated but equally human. Despite the seeming rush in Lautrec's method, he certainly allows that feeling to blossom from the work. It gets at a fleeting kind of realness. Curator: I appreciate seeing that different approach; however, what about the working environment required for a commercial drawing? It must be also taken into account when seeing it. Editor: Indeed, but the joy this figure provokes and what this drawing encapsulates, in regards to that joyful energy... It simply lifts my spirits. Curator: It gives a wonderful glimpse into a historical entertainment. I will continue my research to see the commercial context in Montmartre at the end of the 19th Century!