17. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, French, 1864-1901. May Belfort, 1895. Oil on board, 62.9 x 48.3 cm. Bequest of Leonard C. Hanna, Jr., 1958.54
(No longer on view due to its fragile condition.)

The Irish singer May Belfort was well known to late-19th-century Parisian cabaret audiences for her child-like lisp and her outlandish frock and bonnet. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec first saw her in 1895 at the café concert Les Décadents. During his career, he produced five paintings, one poster, and six lithographs of the singer, and a commission of lithographs of actors and actresses also included her. Belfort typically was depicted holding a small cat that she carried during one of her more notorious acts.

The museum's image demonstrates Toulouse-Lautrec's mastery of simplification. Even though portrayed without her cat, Belfort is identified by her characteristic frock and bonnet. The artist avoided modeling and traditional perspective, emphasizing flat areas of pure unmodulated color. Through the use of line and color, he has captured the essence of Parisian nightlife, particularly the theatrical green light of the cabarets.

Toulouse-Lautrec's interest in the Paris cabarets began when he was an art student. In 1884 he visited the Chat Noir, where he met the owner and celebrated performer Aristide Bruant, later the subject of many of his works. Bruant introduced Toulouse-Lautrec to actors, actresses, and owners of other cabarets. Through these associations he was commissioned to create advertisements, menu cards, and posters for many of these establishments, including the famous Moulin Rouge. Toulouse-Lautrec brought high aesthetic standards to the art of lithography; his innovative techniques, subjects, and use of space and color distinguish him as a painter of modern life.

Vivian Kung and Patricia Richmond
Teacher Resource Center
Department of Education and Public Programs

© 1997 The Cleveland Museum of Art