Lender and Auguez in La Chanson de Fortunio

Lender and Auguez in La Chanson de Fortunio by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec French, 1864-1901 is a striking example of fin-de-siècle graphic art. Created in 1895, this work utilizes the medium of color lithography on ivory wove paper, a sophisticated technique that allowed the artist to achieve the bold contours and flattened, luminous color areas characteristic of his theatrical depictions and posters. This classification as a print highlights Toulouse-Lautrec’s pivotal role in elevating commercial and graphic arts within 19th-century France.

Toulouse-Lautrec frequently immersed himself in the fleeting energy of Parisian entertainment, documenting the lives of singers, dancers, and actors. This specific piece focuses on the well-known performers Lender and Auguez, capturing a dramatic moment from the stage production La Chanson de Fortunio. Toulouse-Lautrec’s compositions are deeply rooted in contemporary stylistic innovations, particularly the asymmetrical layouts and strong linear emphasis borrowed from Japanese ukiyo-e prints. He often utilized dramatic cropping and heightened color contrasts to convey the intense artificiality of the stage lighting and the movement of the performers.

The output of Toulouse-Lautrec belongs firmly to the artistic trajectory of the Belle Époque in France, a period defined by an explosion of public media and commercial prints advertising nightlife. As one of the most significant visual chroniclers of the late 1800s, Toulouse-Lautrec ensured his prints were widely distributed, often blurring the line between fine art and advertisement. This notable impression of Lender and Auguez in La Chanson de Fortunio is preserved in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, where it serves as a key reference for the study of French graphic arts and modern printmaking traditions.