Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s artwork “The Toilette” depicts a red-headed woman sitting on the floor either before or after bathing. Toulouse-Lautrec often portrayed women in private moments such as at their toilet. He was a Post-Impressionist painter, art nouveau illustrator and lithographer. With his artwork, he “obliterated boundaries between high and low art” by elevating advertising to the status of fine art.
The painting has been in France’s public collections since 1914 and is currently at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. It is often confused with Toulouse-Lautrec’s lithograph titled “La Femme qui se lave – La Toilette” from his “Elles” series, which features a different woman in a similar pose.
Toulouse-Lautrec died in 1901 at the age of 36, leaving behind hundreds of paintings, prints and posters. His style of capturing private moments has made him a popular artist even today. “The Toilette” showcases his keen observation skills and his ability to bring out the beauty in mundane moments.
