Artwork
Portrait of M. Paul Sescau (Portrait de M. Paul Sescau)
Portrait of M. Paul Sescau (Portrait de M. Paul Sescau) is an unspecified painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the Brooklyn Museum.
About this work
Overview
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec executed this oil portrait in 1896, presenting Paul Sescau, a personal acquaintance from the artist’s Parisian milieu. The work belongs to the post‑impressionist period of Lautrec’s career and is part of the Brooklyn Museum’s permanent collection.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter, Paul Sescau, appears as a representative of the cultured circles that surrounded Lautrec in late‑nineteenth‑century Paris. While the portrait offers a straightforward likeness, its compositional choices hint at the theatrical and nocturnal environments that defined the artist’s social world.
Technique & Style
Lautrec applies his characteristic draftsmanship, using fluid brushwork and a limited palette to convey texture and atmosphere. The rendering balances realism with expressive exaggeration, a hallmark of his approach to portraiture that merges observation with the dynamism of the city’s nightlife.
History & Provenance
Since its creation, the painting has remained in private hands before being acquired by the Brooklyn Museum, where it has been displayed as part of the institution’s holdings of French modern art. Its accession reflects the museum’s commitment to representing the breadth of Lautrec’s oeuvre.
Context
Created during a period when Lautrec was documenting the bohemian and entertainment districts of Paris, the portrait aligns with his broader interest in capturing the personalities that populated cabarets, theatres, and salons. It thus serves as a visual link between the artist’s social network and his celebrated depictions of urban leisure.
Artist & collection
Artist
Comte Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Montfa (24 November 1864 – 9 September 1901), known as Toulouse-Lautrec (French: ), was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, caricaturist, and illustrator.
