Toulouse-Lautrec: The Moulin Rouge and the City of Light - Hardcover

Burleigh, Robert

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0810958678 ISBN 13: 9780810958678

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, 2005

Synopsis

Accompanied by stunning reproductions, posters, and drawings, a fascinating glimpse into the life of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec details how he overcame a childhood disease to become a legendary artist.

About this title

About the Author

Robert Burleigh has written a number of bestselling children’s books—including O Captain, My Captain; Hit the Road, Jack; and George Bellows, Painter with a Punch!—that have received multiple starred reviews and awards, including the Orbis Pictus, Texas Bluebonnet Master List, CCBC Choices, and an ALA Notable. He lives outside Chicago.

Reviews

Grade 4-8–This short, vividly illustrated book is an excellent addition to the recent spate of artist biographies such as Jonah Winter's Frida(Scholastic, 2002), James Warhola's Uncle Andy's(Putnam, 2003), Michael Garland's Dinner at Magritte's(Penguin, 1995), and M. T. Anderson's Strange Mr. Satie (Viking, 2003). These excellent art-history primers afford respect and offer historical perspective to subjects who were misunderstood during their own lifetimes. This biography is no different. Burleigh confidently celebrates Lautrec's work and skill and allows readers to shake hands with the man as a great artist rather than as a fixture in Parisian nightlife. Not only does the book feature Lautrec's paintings in many mediums (watercolors, drawings, oil paintings, graphite), but it also includes large, clear photographs of Lautrec, his circle of friends, and Paris at the turn of the 19th century. The text is written in a brisk, conversational tone and includes anecdotes, asides, and rhetorical questions that serve to make the artist's life vivid, relevant, and even a little hip. The size of the book is also a plus as it allows room for large reproductions of Lautrec's work.–Steev Baker, Kewaskum Public Library, WI
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Gr. 3-5. This handsome, oversize volume introduces the life and art of Toulouse-Lautrec. His childhood, the disease that stunted the growth of his legs, and his decision to study art in Paris begin the text, which goes on to discuss the nightlife in Montmartre, the young man's talent, his hard work, and his growing reputation. In his brief lifetime, his posters for the Moulin Rouge became renowned not just as advertising but also as art. Burleigh relates the facts in a way that is comprehensible to children, without talking down to them. He seamlessly incorporates information about the people portrayed in the pictures and the style of the art into the narrative account of the artist's life. The book's format allows for many illustrations, including period photos and paintings of Paris by artists such as Pissarro and Renoir, which are cleverly mingled with reproductions of Toulouse-Lautrec's arresting drawings, paintings, and lithographs, many in color. Together, they give a sense of the excitement that was Paris. Back matter includes a bibliography and an author's note. A beautifully designed book that provides a lively, accessible introduction to the artist's life and work. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0810958678
• ISBN 13: 9780810958678
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32