Les Panneaux De La Goulu

Introduction

I will share with you， the 2 panels that were painted for the faireground of La Goulue in the Foire du Trone

La Goulue ,was one of the legendary figures of Parisian night life.

She was known as La Goulue because she used to empty the clients drinks.

Her real name was Louise Weber In 1895, she left the Moulin Rouge and created her own ,belly dance business in the Foire du Trone

And then she commissioned Toulouse Lautrec to paint two decorative panels

to advertise her fairground booth , each of these panels would show the two stages of her life.

Before, and after the Moulin rouge

In the left handpanel,: La Goulue and Valentin "The boneless"

Toulouse Lautrec shows La Goulue in the height of her glory at the Moulin rouge

This scene marks her excellent performances with Valentin the Boneless

In the foreground, Valentin "the Boneless" a dancer famous for his contortions, is represented with a jutting chin and wearing a tall hat.

In the middle distance to distinguish La Goulue from others, Toulouse Lautrec has painted her in bright colours.

Behind La Goulue , we can recognize Jane Avril , another famous dancer whom Toulouse Lautrec often portrayed.

In the right handpanel: La danse mauresque ou les Alnées

This panel is more colorful than the left one .

It illustrates( iləstreits )the show presented by La Goulue in her fairground,

In the foreground, we can notice the spectators turning their back to us , watching the dance of La Goulue.

Second from the left , with a massive silhouette , is Oscar Wilde, the famous Irish poet, next to him is Jane Avril , a Moulin Rouge dancer, wearing a black hat . Immediately to her right, is Toulouse Lautrec himself.

In the top centre, La Goulue executes the French CAN-CAN, leg raised and revealing her underwear ,she is surrounded by orientally-dressed musicians.

The girl, sitting on the right , playing the tambourine, is Emma Said Ber Mohamed,

who is very probably Edith Piaf ‘s grandmother.

In my opinion ,as this was the oriental period , for that reason la Goulue wants to follow the fashion by dancing the can-can in an oriental décor.

La Goulue quickly declined ,she died aged 54 in poverty.

However, Her name lingers on , even today.

Conclusion

The style of Toulouse Lautrec was highly marked by bold contours and we can find unpainted patches in the canvas.

It was a novel idea to have a painting as an advertisement which then became a fashion in the 20th century.

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