To Menilmontant from Bruant (A Ménilmontant, de Bruant)

To Menilmontant from Bruant (A Ménilmontant, de Bruant) is a distinctive print created by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1898. This sophisticated lithograph is executed with precision in black and beige, showcasing the concise line work and selective use of color characteristic of the artist’s late career. The print belongs firmly to the French cultural output of the 1876 to 1900 period, an era during which Parisian artistic life moved from the traditional salon into the music halls and cabarets of Montmartre.

The work's title immediately links it to Aristide Bruant, the celebrated chansonnier who served as Toulouse-Lautrec’s iconic subject in several famous posters and prints. Bruant, known for his black hat, voluminous cape, and signature red scarf, embodied the romanticized grit of the Parisian underworld. Ménilmontant was the working-class neighborhood often referenced in Bruant's songs, which focused on social critique and the realities of street life. Toulouse-Lautrec captures the essence of this dynamic relationship between performer and locale through flattened perspective and a reductive color palette, prioritizing the stark, graphic impact necessary for successful printed media of the era.

Toulouse-Lautrec’s commitment to printmaking solidified his reputation as a master of graphic arts. His lithographs served as visual commentaries on fin-de-siècle culture, enabling his artistic vision to reach a wider public than traditional painting allowed. This specific focus on prints and the affiche (poster) genre ensured that the artist’s work had immediate cultural relevance. This significant lithograph, To Menilmontant from Bruant (A Ménilmontant, de Bruant), is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, where it serves as an excellent example of late 19th-century French graphic arts.