Toulouse-Lautrec and Jane Avril were made for each other. A perfect blending of style, form and content! Two rebels who both excelled at their chosen art and both with less happy endings than they deserved. Hel I always believed that the police were there to prevent ladies doing the cancan without wearing undies. Or to stop prostitutes from doing business inside the cabaret. Apparently not. They were the ones who created the look and feel of the era, that over the top, greater than real life effect that attracted the public to the various dance halls and bars.
Other groups of celebrities and their leaders would typify the glamour of other eras--Dr. Johnson's London, Gertrude Stein's expatriate group in the Paris of the 's and later, and even the late 20th century disco era. Hi Hels - I hadn't realised this connection It is a good many years since I read the book, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.
I intend to reread it now. I am not sure whether it was translated into English, but the Hollywood film, Moulin Rouge, was based on this book. A couple of excerpts from the blurb on the back cover And Jane Avril's poverty and abuse as a child, her long hospitalisation for what? I too am glad they had each other. Deb I have no idea why police officers bothered making regular inspections to ensure that the women dancers were all wearing underwear.
It was a waste of time morally and it irritated the paying customers. In fact every time the police hauled off women, they cabaret owner or male customers would simply go to the local gaol and bail the artists out. Parnassus there were beautiful clothes, music, dancing, art, alcohol and night life in other cities back then, but no city was as gloriously alive as Paris.
When Moulin Rouge and then other places opened in , artists and musicians flocked to France to live.. Hilary we were born at the wrong time. We would have known all about the cancan, frothy petticoats, absinthe and great artists, had we been born in the late Victorian era. David A short life, mega talented and tragically agitated - yes indeed. Toulouse-Lautrec's life might have been very rich, but it was oh so short c I will get the book, many thanks.
