Awesome Ads

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec might be best known as the miniature man played by John Leguizamo in this summer's Moulin Rouge. But all the Moulin Rouge posters that popped up when the movie opened were copies of Toulouse-Lautrec's original drawings. He was famous for his work and famous because he made mass advertisement a fine art.

Toulouse-Lautrec would draw on a smooth slab of limestone with a grease crayon, then roll ink onto the slab, which adheres only to the oily material that forms the drawing, not the bare stone. This type of printing, called lithography, allows for easy reproductions, and the use of multiple stones creates the magnificent colors seen in each print.

By now everyone has seen copies of his infamous Moulin Rouge prints, but his artistry has expanded far beyond the scandalous nightspot. Besides his posters of Moulin Rouge performers, he created other lithographic ads for products such as bicycle chains and theater programs, and he composed a series called Elles--glimpses into the private lives of scantily clad ladies of the night.

Before he died at a very young 36, Toulouse-Lautrec completed over 1,000 paintings, drawings and lithographs. And on Sunday, TOULOUSE-LAUTREC: Master of the Moulin Rouge opens at the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. The exhibit runs through Feb. 17 and will feature original prints and studies by Toulouse-Lautrec as well as several works by his contemporaries. Most of the paintings come from the Baltimore Museum of Art; although others hail directly from MusZe de Toulouse-Lautrec--his birthplace-turned-museum in Albi, France.

Touring the exhibit will be well worth your trip. The colors and subjects of Toulouse-Lautrec's lithographs are bold and complete. The way he can encompass a whole life, a whole world, with just one drawing is fascinating and ingenius.

Accompanying the exhibit is a series of events and lectures beginning Saturday night, with an opening gala featuring dancing, cabaret performers and even an "Absinthe Lounge." For more information on the exhibit log on to www.ncartmuseum.org.