At the Moulin-Rouges, Two Women Walzing

At the Moulin-Rouges, Two Women Walzing was produced by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec in 1892, and perfectly captures the most famous genre in which he was involved. This piece can be found in the National Gallery in Prague, Czech Republic.

This is a multi-figure composition, with the two main subjects found dancing together in the foreground. Although Toulouse-Lautrec featured girlfriends together in other paintings, in this case it may simply have been that there were not enough male partners available at this dance. The scene is cut into two main areas, separated by fencing. In the foreground we find a dance floor, with several figures enjoying the music. At the back is a number of couples who are sat down, enjoying some food and drink. The artist then adds some colour along the wall in the far distance. An interesting stylistic touch is how the two ladies in front have similarly coloured clothing, helping their images to merge together into one entity, which might be symbolic of their own relationship.

At the Moulin-Rouges, Two Women Walzing was later turned into lithographic prints, with many copies sold on. The figures in this painting have been identified as Cha-U-Kao dancing with a girlfriend and Jane Avril to their right. It seems likely that the two in front of us here were indeed in a relationship, but it was rare for the artist to depict in a manner that was too clear, as some parts of society would still reject such imagery. He would often play around these topics, so that those who were onside would understand what he meant but that others would not quite understand the content.

The National Gallery in Prague specialises in 19th and 20th century art, with many famous French painters included. There is also some Italian and German Renaissance art from previous centuries too. Alongside the item found here, they also feature artists such as Gustav Klimt, Joan Miro, Henri Rousseau, Egon Schiele, Paul Cezanne and also a number of Czech artists as well. The Virgin by Gustav Klimt is perhaps the main highlight to be found here and there are also a number of Rodin sculptures here too, though the main focus remains on drawings and paintings.