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french third republicconcept:era modern

Jane Avril

Colour lithograph poster (1893) by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Depicts the Moulin Rouge dancer Jane Avril dancing with characteristic high kick, framed by the neck of a contrabass whose strings frame her figure. A masterwork of Japanese-influenced poster design. Held at the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

Scholarly Significance

Anchor Toulouse-Lautrec's poster art with Jane Avril (1893), a defining work of Post-Impressionist graphic design.

Notes

  • ·One of several Lautrec posters featuring Jane Avril (1868–1943), celebrated Moulin Rouge dancer and one of Lautrec's closest friends.
  • ·The contrabass frame enclosing her dancing figure is a compositional innovation derived from Japanese ukiyo-e framing devices.
  • ·The poster was for Avril's engagement at the Jardin de Paris.
  • ·Lautrec made four major posters of Jane Avril (1892 Moulin Rouge; 1893 Jardin de Paris; 1899 Jane Avril; 1900 Jane Avril).
  • ·Multiple copies survive in public collections; the Bibliothèque nationale de France and Toulouse-Lautrec Museum in Albi hold key examples.