The Madman (Le fou) (title page of inserted song sheet) from Quatorze lithographies originales (Mélodies de Désiré Dihau)

The Madman (Le fou) (title page of inserted song sheet) from Quatorze lithographies originales (Mélodies de Désiré Dihau) is a striking lithograph created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1895. Classified as part of an Illustrated Book, this artwork served as the title page for a compilation of songs composed by Désiré Dihau, a frequent collaborator and musician within Toulouse-Lautrec’s artistic circle.

This piece exemplifies the French cultural production of the period, spanning from the fin-de-siècle into the 1895-1935 era. Toulouse-Lautrec often depicted the psychological intensity and marginal figures inhabiting Parisian nightlife, translating this subject matter into evocative graphic work. Here, the artist employs a reductive yet highly expressive style, using the lithographic stone to achieve stark contrasts and a dramatic sense of isolation appropriate for the depiction of madness (le fou). The economical use of line and dark areas captures the unsettling atmosphere that characterizes many of Toulouse-Lautrec’s studies of human emotion.

As an illustration intended for print, the work showcases the artist’s fluency in the medium. Lithography allowed Toulouse-Lautrec to distribute artistic imagery widely and integrate fine art concepts directly into musical scores and publications, thereby democratizing access to his aesthetic. The composition highlights his mastery of printmaking, demonstrating how carefully placed lines could generate powerful psychological portraits with minimal detail. The surviving prints from this series provide essential insight into the intersection of graphic design, music, and painting at the close of the nineteenth century. This significant piece is held within the collection of the Museum of Modern Art.