Confetti

Confetti by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is a key example of the artist's pioneering approach to commercial and fine art prints, created in 1894. This striking lithograph was meticulously printed in three colors on vellum, a sophisticated technique that enhances the delicacy and texture of the image. Toulouse-Lautrec, renowned for his ability to capture the intimate energy of Parisian fin-de-siècle nightlife, was instrumental in elevating the reproductive print medium to the status of high art.

The piece focuses on the intimate interaction between several figures, primarily women, though the scene is characterized by anonymity and gesture rather than detailed portraiture. The composition, simplified through the artist's distinctive use of line and flat planes of color, centers on delicate movements, particularly the careful rendering of hands. The subjects’ hands are shown holding, reaching, or adjusting garments, suggesting a moment captured within a theatrical performance or a fashionable social event. The controlled palette emphasizes the stylish clothing and the psychological mood that pervaded the entertainment venues Toulouse-Lautrec frequented.

This important print, one of the most recognized of the artist's graphic works, is currently housed in the distinguished collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. As a commercially successful print from the late 19th century, this work helped establish the format's popular appeal, making images like Confetti widely known across Europe. The mastery exhibited in this print ensures that Toulouse-Lautrec remains central to the history of modern graphic arts, and high-quality reproductions of many of his most famous prints are now widely available through public domain archives.