1889, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, The Hangover (Suzanne Valadon) -- Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge)
From the museum label: Aristide Bruant, a cabaret owner, singer, and songwriter who exhibited Toulouse-Lautrec’s work in his establishment, gave this painting its title. Bruant’s songs were often about the condition of the urban poor and the theme of excessive drinking. The model for the sitter in this composition is Suzanne Valadon, a former circus performer who was Toulouse-Lautrec’s mistress for two years. A decade after this painting was created, Valadon began making her own drawings, and later in life she was a well-known artist. Here, Valadon’s scowl, slumped pose, and darkened eyes befit Bruant’s title perfectly, while the single glass and half-empty bottle of wine on the table suggest she drinks alone. The sketchy application of paint, which was diluted with turpentine and then brushed over an underdrawing approximates the hazy, indistinct perception of the café that the inebriated sitter would have through her halfclosed eyes. Many of Toulouse-Lautrec’s contemporaries depicted the social phenomenon of alcoholism among women, which was a growing concern in medical circles.
1889, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, The Hangover (Suzanne Valadon) -- Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge)
From the museum label: Aristide Bruant, a cabaret owner, singer, and songwriter who exhibited Toulouse-Lautrec’s work in his establishment, gave this painting its title. Bruant’s songs were often about the condition of the urban poor and the theme of excessive drinking. The model for the sitter in this composition is Suzanne Valadon, a former circus performer who was Toulouse-Lautrec’s mistress for two years. A decade after this painting was created, Valadon began making her own drawings, and later in life she was a well-known artist. Here, Valadon’s scowl, slumped pose, and darkened eyes befit Bruant’s title perfectly, while the single glass and half-empty bottle of wine on the table suggest she drinks alone. The sketchy application of paint, which was diluted with turpentine and then brushed over an underdrawing approximates the hazy, indistinct perception of the café that the inebriated sitter would have through her halfclosed eyes. Many of Toulouse-Lautrec’s contemporaries depicted the social phenomenon of alcoholism among women, which was a growing concern in medical circles.