1901, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, The Opera "Messalina" at Bordeaux -- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
From the museum label: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is best known for his depictions of Parisian revelers at the turn of the century, chronicling popular dance halls, cabarets, circuses, and other leisure spaces that drew spectators representing a range of social groups. Not only a witness to the spectacles of modern Paris, the artist also created posters, programs, stage designs, and even costumes for numerous productions. After attending a performance of the opera Messaline, Toulouse-Lautrec developed one of his "furias," the term he used to describe his obsessions with particular female performers. He attended the production repeatedly, seeking to later capture on canvas the gestures and tensions of this tragic tale.
1901, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, The Opera "Messalina" at Bordeaux -- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
From the museum label: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is best known for his depictions of Parisian revelers at the turn of the century, chronicling popular dance halls, cabarets, circuses, and other leisure spaces that drew spectators representing a range of social groups. Not only a witness to the spectacles of modern Paris, the artist also created posters, programs, stage designs, and even costumes for numerous productions. After attending a performance of the opera Messaline, Toulouse-Lautrec developed one of his "furias," the term he used to describe his obsessions with particular female performers. He attended the production repeatedly, seeking to later capture on canvas the gestures and tensions of this tragic tale.