Henri de Toulouse Lautrec was a French artist in Europe during the late 1900’s Post Impressionist period. He, along with other painters like Cézanne and Van Gogh, are known as some of the greatest fine artists of that time period–Lautrec can still be most easily reccognized by the posters he did for the Moulin Rouge. Much like today, famous artists were often commissioned to do art for special events, but Lautrec was one of the most successful in creating a painting that also effectively sold something, (especially during that time where the standards for something being considered “art” were much higher). Lautrec’s design is elegant (despite the subject) and captivating. He uses many of the design principles that have shaped good poster-making from that time til today, like repetition, balance and color contrast. So if you want to start designing posters, there’s nothing like learning from the classics.
Click the poster for more historical info on Lautrec and prints of his posters.
