LAUTREC, THE MAN WHO IMMORTALIZED LA
GOULUE
Photo: A Montrouge (Rosa La Rouge),
1886-87, by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Barnes Foundation, Merion,
Pennsylvania, USA.
To Louise Weber, "Le Moulin Rouge" gave her
life. To La Goulue, Toulouse-Lautrec gave immortality.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (November 24, 1864 - September 9,
1901) was a French painter, born in Albi, Tarn in the Midi-Pyrénées Region
of France. He came from an old aristocratic family that had lost much of its
prestige. He was the son of Comte Alphonse and Comtesse Adèle de
Toulouse-Lautrec. At age twelve Henri broke his left leg, and at fourteen
his right leg. The bones did not heal properly, and his legs ceased to grow.
 Photo:
Yvette Gilbert.
He reached maturity with a body trunk of
normal size but with abnormally short legs. He was only 4 1/2 feet (1.5
meters) tall. For his work, he has been called the soul of Montmartre, the
place where he made his home. Toulouse-Lautrec's paintings,
illustrations and affiches (posters) of Montmartre, "Le Moulin Rouge", Jane
Avril, La Goulue, et al cemented the universal fame and immortality of the
Parisian Can Can. His paintings
portray and echo the life, drama, tragedy, pleasures and magic of
Montmartre and
Parisian cabarets and theaters, as well as the sinful scents of the Parisian
brothels he regularly frequented. He loved women. And Louise Weber was
his greatest unfulfilled passion and desire. She refused to pose nude for
him. Despite her refusal, he painted her while observing her dancing the Can
Can at "Le Moulin Rouge". Truly,
Toulouse-Lautrec loved two women in his life: Louise Weber and Yvette
Gilbert who succumbed to his desires. Weber did not.
The two famous people occurring in his
paintings were as expected, the singer Yvette Guilbert and the Queen
of the French Can Can, Louise Weber, known as the outrageous La Goulue.
Toulouse-Lautrec contracted syphilis from Rosa La Rouge, a prostitute
whom he painted many times, and it eventually killed him. Louise Weber
was the one who introduced La Rouge to Toulouse-Lautrec, just to get
rid of him. He died at his estate in Malromé and is buried in Verdelais,
Gironde, a few miles from his birthplace. Today, a painting by him can sell
for as much as US$ 14.5 million. And the best of the best of his affiches
are those of Louise Weber and Jane Avril.
AFFICHES AND PAINTINGS BY TOULOUSE-LAUTREC
LOUISE WEBER (LA GOULUE)
Left, a painting depicting La Goulue. Right, an affiche
illustrating the Can Can routine of La Goulue.
JANE AVRIL (CRAZY JANE)
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What
they said about Louise Weber (La Goulue)
French President,
Jacques Chirac: "She deserves all the honors, France owes
her..."
Arletty: "Louise
Weber is the one who inspired Toulouse-Lautrec..."
Jean Gabin: "She
was formidable...she was Montmatre and Paris..."
Maurice Chevalier:
"Poor Louise, what a woman and what an artist..."
Jane Avril: "It
was tough to please Louise, but always easy to make her happy. Just
tell her she is the Queen of France and everything will be fine..."
Josephine Baker:
"Real artist. She had talent and a heart."
Mistinguett: "She
was superb. Great beginning, tragic end. That's the life of the
artist..."
Edith Piaf: "The
real thing. Who said life is fair?"
Jean Cocteau: "A
human tragedy to learn from. Do we?...La Goulue is a painful memory
of the magic times of France..."
Simone Signoret:
" Painful to talk about La Goulue. And more painful would be, if we
do not..."
Toulouse-Lautrec:
" You forgive sins when you see her dancing..."
Achille Delmaet: "Great at
what she does but, stupidly stubborn like a Moroccan donkey..."
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