The Art Of Wine
/One of history's greatest pairings? Wine and art. They go together like Cabernet and steak. In fact, not just wine but drinking culture as a whole has been a prominent feature of some of the greatest artworks of our time. In the Art of Wine, we look at some of these artworks and their significance to us, the drinking class.
La Goulue Dancing with Valentin le Desosse - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
We could do an entire series on the works of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec for the Art of Wine because they are the genuine article depictions of the drinking class. Toulouse-Lautrec was one of the great bohemian artists of Montmartre in the late 1800s, and painted what he saw night in and night out at the nightclubs of Paris. We don't even need to assume drinking roles for the people in his paintings, we already know what they are thanks to his watchful eye and careful depictions.
Toulouse-Lautrec was disabled due to two broken legs that never healed properly and resulted in him only reaching a height of five foot tall in adulthood. Being unable to do many of the activities of normal aristocrats of his day due to his height, Toulouse-Lautrec immersed himself in the nightlife culture and would often be found drinking with his sketchbook in hand.
This painting is my wife's favorite of his and probably many others who have been to the Musée d'Orsay has seen this giant work by on display. The painting itself is 9 and a half feet tall and is positioned adjacent to its equally large sister painting Le Goulue Dancing. The Moulin Rouge opened in Montmartre in 1889, and instantly became the nightclub of choice for Toulouse-Lautrec until he was institutionalized for health reasons in 1895. While institutionalized, he painted many of his famous depictions of the Moulin Rouge from his sketches, including La Goulue Dancing with Valentin le Desosse.
The Characters
The two characters in this painting were La Goulue who was the star of Montmarte dancing with her partner the famous Valentin le Desosse. These two were the top performers of the day living in Paris and were personal favorite subjects of Toulouse-Lautrec.
Next is her partner Valentin le Desosse. He was a wine merchant by day who was dancing at night in the Moulin Rouge. He was purported to be the best male dancer in Montmartre. I love this guy, but who wouldn't love a dancing wine merchant? Wait, it gets better, he was a contortionist and could perform feats while dancing that made him appear to be boneless. I assume that explains why Toulouse-Lautrec painted his feet in such a contorted angles, but we don't know for sure. Valentin le Desosse danced for recreation and was never paid for is dancing at Moulin Rouge. He is credited for taking in La Goulue and showing her the ropes. Not much is known of him after he left the Moulin Rouge but I like to think that he returned to his wine merchant business and sold small production wine. It's the romantic in me.
First up is La Goulue. Her real name was Louise Webber and she was the undisputed star of Montmartre dancing for sold out clubs night after night. The original party girl of Paris, she is often credited with starting the craze of the Cancan as she danced an early version of it named Chahut. She was known for her outlandish behavior and healthy appetite for wine. I like her already. Unfortunately, like many modern day stars, she thought she could do better striking out on her own and she left the Moulin Rouge to do a solo act. That decision became a financial disaster for her that she never recovered from.
The Venue
Moulin Rouge opened in 1889 and instantly became the the premier nightclub in Paris. Known for the invention of the Cancan and being the first burlesque show in Europe, Moulin Rouge was instrumental in the evolution the night club scene of the times. I love imagining the great artisans of the day in Montmartre drinking and dancing side by side with the aristocrats of Paris. You can see the different classes of people in the scene, the alcoholic regulars with their red noses, the middle class in their bowler hats, and the well to do in their top hats and bowties. It must have been a wild scene.
The Drinking Class
The images captured by Toulouse-Lautrec may have been the founding of the drinking class. It doesn't matter what walk of life you are, you are welcome here so long as you drink, dance, laugh and have a great time. We are talking about a time when people drank so much wine they were institutionalized and drank so much Absinthe they were chasing green fairies. Toulouse-Lautrec painted over 1,000 paintings or canvases capturing scenes from the ongoing party and preserving them for us of the modern day drinking class to examine and enjoy. In La Goulue Dancing with Valentin le Desosse, we can lift a glass and cheers to the star performers of the day who brought us the Cancan and to Toulouse-Lautrec for capturing such epic scenes.
View Of An Art Historian
Want to know more about Toulouse-Lautrec and the Moulin Rouge? Check out this video from Art Historian Jay A. Clark to learn more.