Caudieux

Caudieux was a café-concert artist from late 19th century Paris and features within a number of Toulouse-Lautrec posters. This particular design was produced to promote the performer, and many copies were dispersed around the city.

The illustration techniques of this artist kept everything fairly simple here. Caudieux is delivered with just a few lines and colours, and the background behind is even more simple. Prints were made in different forms, and some put the lettering in yellow, which created an impact for those who came across the posters. The yellow tone might be continued into details on his clothing, such as the main shirt button and a flourish from his top pocket. Caudieux used plenty of humour within his act and this is used against him by the artist here, who depicts him as a little tubby and slightly effeminate. The performer was known onstage as the Human Cannonball, which is why he is shown in motion within this design.

Many versions of this artwork still exist today, with iterations from the original painting to be found in the collections of major institutions such as the V&A Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the US. Some were black and white, whilst others feature the yellow touches mentioned. One lithograph print of this design was sold at Christie's too, for $11,250 in 2017. There are many prints from his career which appear for sale every now and again, but sales of his oils are much rarer and command much higher prices. All of the examples that we found were all dated at 1893, and anything printed at the earliest point would certainly hold more value, because of its stronger connection to the artist himself.

The V&A Museum offer a great selection of prints from his career, featuring many more of his most famous paintings. These are held within a specialist prints section which can be viewed in person by requesting an appointment. Other artworks to be found here include Aristide Bruant dans son Cabaret, Eldorado..., Aristide Bruant dans son cabaret, Divan Japonais and also Troupe de Mlle Églantine. Their full list of lithograph prints is mainly focused on the cabaret nights, for which this artist is now most famous. Many more prints from his lifetime have been dispersed right across Europe and into North America.