Confetti
Maker
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
(French, 1864-1901)
Date1894
MediumColor lithograph
DimensionsSheet: 22 5/8 x 17 3/4 in. (57.5 x 45.1 cm)
Mat III
Mat III
Credit LineBequest of Louise H. Landau
Collections
Object number2003.70
Status
Not on viewHenri de Toulouse-Lautrec linked high art with popular culture in his paintings, lithographs, and posters. Graphically dynamic and exploding with color, his works employ the compositional cropping, flat color planes, and steep perspectives of Japanese prints while celebrating the vitality of the cabaret, the dance hall, and other urban entertainments. They bring to life the bohemian lifestyle that flourished in turn-of-the-century Paris, particularly the district of Montmartre. Many of Toulouse-Lautrec’s designs that garner the most praise for artistic innovation today began as commercial enterprises, such as this reduced-scale poster for a confetti factory. The woman in the poster is Jeanne Granier, a soprano and actress, whose smile is the focal point of the composition as anonymous hands shower her with confetti.
