Le Jockey

Le Jockey is a refined lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1899, placing it among the final major print projects completed by the celebrated French artist. Toulouse-Lautrec’s mastery of the lithographic medium was pivotal to his fame, enabling him to produce powerful, highly distributed images that captured the dynamic energy of contemporary Parisian life. This specific print exemplifies the artist’s capacity to convey complex scenes using minimal color and expressive, attenuated line work, characteristic of his mature style.

Unlike the famous scenes of cabarets and theaters, Le Jockey focuses on the world of horse racing, a subject of fascination for many late 19th-century artists. Toulouse-Lautrec was drawn to the spectacle and inherent drama of the racetrack, presenting the rider and horse often in a tight focus that emphasizes the intensity of motion and the athlete’s concentration. The composition utilizes simplified forms and bold contours, sometimes leaving large areas of the paper untouched to maximize contrast and speed. This graphic approach reflects the prevailing Art Nouveau influence while maintaining the observational wit central to Toulouse-Lautrec’s vision.

Produced in 1899, the work stands as an essential document of French graphic arts from the turn of the century. As a fine example of the artist's dedication to printmaking, the piece showcases the aesthetic shift occurring in the late Post-Impressionist period towards flatter forms and greater psychological immediacy. This significant work is maintained in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), affirming its status as a canonical representation of Toulouse-Lautrec’s contribution to modern prints and drawings.