Toulouse-Lautrec - Blue Elephants

It is difficult to connect Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864 -1901) to a specific aesthetic movement. Attracted by the world of entertainment, he distinguished himself particularly in graphic art through the creation of posters. At the end of the 19th ^century , circus shows were very numerous in France, Toulouse-Lautrec regularly visited the traveling circuses of the provinces and the stable circuses of Paris. In the working-class districts of Paris, only two circuses were present: the Cirque d'Hiver in Paris and the Cirque Fernando in Montmartre. Toulouse-Lautrec was then passionate about the circus. This environment reminded him of the nonconformism of his family circle. He was also attracted to these shows by the bodies in movement, the athletic performances of the artists and the postures of the animals.