Bal La Goulue

&quotMoulin Rouge&quot by Toulouse-Lautrec (The Poster) &quotWhen Toulouse-Lautrec started learning the art of lithography, he mentioned it to Charles Zidler, the director of the Moulin Rouge, who immediately offered to let him prepare a new poster of the caberet, to replace Cheret’s which had been in use for two years (see PL.53). The artist rose to the occasion, with the result that the first poster as well as the first lithograph he ever made (he was 27 years old) turned out to be his biggest, best and most successful. It extended his already considerable fame beyond the confines of the art circles to the broadest cross section of the public, and made him an instant popular celebrity. The Moulin Rouge is, indeed, a masterpiece in every respect. It not only captures the characteristics of our two subjects, La Goulue the dancer and Valentin Le Desosse, her partner, but it also instantly explains the very heart of the cancan. The dazzle of the petticoats, which Toulouse-Lautrec creates simply by leaving the paper blank. Nothing could be more direct or more illuminating. The artist gets his point across with an impact no passer-by could resist. In his first lesson, Toulouse-Lautrec grasps the quintessence of poster language: Catch attention, speak forcefully, deliver the message&quot(Wine Spectator 40)