Toulouse Lautrec free essay sample

Journal of Suzanne Valadon, model and apprentice of Henry Toulouse-Lautrec. pans, July 25 1889 Its a calm Sunday afternoon. I Just woke up next to Toulouse. Hes still snoring, probably due to the large amount of alcohol he had last night. Absinthe in abundance in the crazy bohemian Parisians nights. Toulouse always drinks too much, no one realizes because everyone enjoys drinking every night but I can see hes not far from being an alcoholic. Its going to kill him someday. He had that funny walk when we got home, he looks as a child, with his short height, staggering from left to ight. I know its a subject he doesnt usually talks about, his height. I heard the story from someone at a table one night. He was 14, no 13, when his accident happened. After fracturing his thighbone, the break didnt heal properly and his legs stopped growing, meanwhile the rest of his body kept a normal size. We will write a custom essay sample on Toulouse Lautrec or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page During his convalescence period he got pushed by his mother to paint and draw. He didnt spend time with children his age but rather develop his art skills. Anyhow Toulouse never had a good health maybe its because of his origins. He confessed that he came, from an aristocrat family keeping marriage among them. Incest never turns out good. Toulouse has a certain fascination for brothels. We hadnt seen each other for a week now because he was in one of them. This place of sexual enjoyment is its little shelter; he enjoys the environment of love and pleasures. He has become very close to all the prostitutes; he has started to gain their trust. He stays days and nights, watching and painting the females lifestyle in the house, especially in their intimate moments. Women have become one of his favorites subject in his work. Also Toulouse began to work on posters for the cabaret the Moulin Rouge. I always see him with a toothbrush in his pocket to splat on the lithographic stone to produce tonal effects. I am always captivated when I watch him work doing lithography. I see him starting from scratches; he never has a sketch but instead starts directly on the lithographic stone from memory. Yesterday he was doing a poster called Le Goulue au Moulin Rouge, He did different patterns with flat planes placing Valentine the oneless one in the middle, this really flexible dancer. I like how simple and expressive the poster was, keeping a very communicative form. He created a new style, inspired by the Japanese art principally. Japanese art became in vogue in Paris. It has been 35 years that Japan re-opened its trade and they would send porcelains, woodcuts, and screens. Then in the 1960s, ukiyo-e, Japanese wood prints, became popular and originated an inspiration for many artists that I know. When we go out to le Chat Noir Night Club, we get some drinks share some laughs. There are moments when we dont hear Toulouse anymore. He is sketching the scenes; part of the bohemian lifestyle is to incorporate your art in your everyday life. He was very good at capturing moments and people. He would draw the crowd scenes focusing on one or two fgures. Hes always very detached in his paintings but keeps a compassionate ee e Chat Noir Night Club is also a place where he gathered with artists. They like to collaborate and exchange their views. I often hear him talk to Th ©ophile-Alexandre Steinlen and Georges Auriol. Steinlen and Toulouse have a very similar style, and there is a constant rivalry between them for certain commissions. When I see Toulouse frustrated chugging some absinthe I know they Just argued before. However I appreciate Steinleins company; he showed me his new poster for le Chat Noir with beautiful cat illustrations. I admire Toulouse, his wide variety of paintings, drawings, etchings, lithographs, and posters, as well as illustrations for various contemporary newspapers are mind-blowing. Many artists inspire him and he inspires many. What I like the most is that he incorporates the styles of contemporary artists like the painters Edgar Degas and Paul Gauguin. The Japanese art is becoming very trendy and I can see its impact on his work on many elements as sharp delineation, oblique angles, flat areas of color and asymmetric composition. I hope he wont sleep all day. He is supposed to teach me painting today. I am very grateful for everything he did for me. He taught me his techniques, how he applies the paint in long, with thinbrushtrokes and also his use vibrant colors. I think Ill wake him up soon.

USS Maine Explosion and the Spanish-American War

USS Maine Explosion and the Spanish-American War The sinking of USS Maine took place on February 15, 1898, and contributed to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War that April. After years of unrest in Cuba, tensions began to re-escalate in the 1890s. Seeking to calm the American public, which had been calling for intervention, and to protect business interests, President William McKinley ordered the US Navy to dispatch a warship to Havana. Arriving in January 1898, USS Maine sank on February 15 after an explosion tore through the ship. Initial reports concluded that Maine had been sunk by a naval mine. Sparking a wave of outrage across the United States, the loss of the ship helped push the nation towards war. Though a later report in 1911 also concluded that a mine caused the explosion, some began to believe that it was the result of a coal dust fire. A subsequent investigation in 1974 also favored the coal dust theory though its findings have been contested. Background Since the late 1860s, efforts had been underway in Cuba to end Spanish colonial rule. In 1868, the Cubans began a ten-year rebellion against their Spanish overlords. Though it was crushed in 1878, the war had generated widespread support for the Cuban cause in the United States. Seventeen years later, in 1895, the Cubans again rose up in the revolution. To combat this, the Spanish government dispatched General Valeriano Weyler y Nicolau to crush the rebels. Arriving in Cuba, Weyler began a brutal campaign against the Cuban people which involved the use of concentration camps in rebellious provinces. This approach led to the death of over 100,000 Cubans and Weyler was promptly nicknamed the Butcher by the American press. Stories of atrocities in Cuban were played up by the yellow press, and the public put increasing pressure on Presidents Grover Cleveland and William McKinley to intervene. Working through diplomatic channels, McKinley was able to defuse the situation and Weyler was recalled to Spain in late 1897. The following January, supporters of Weyler began a series of riots in Havana. Concerned for American citizens and business interests in the area, McKinley elected to send a warship to the city. Arriving in Havana After discussing this course of action with the Spanish and receiving their blessing, McKinley passed his request to the US Navy. To fulfill the presidents orders, the second-class battleship USS Maine was detached from the North Atlantic Squadron at Key West on January 24, 1898. Commissioned in 1895, Maine possessed four 10 guns and was capable of steaming at 17 knots. With a crew of 354, Maine had spent the entirety of its brief career operating along the eastern seaboard. Commanded by Captain Charles Sigsbee, Maine entered Havana harbor on January 25, 1898. USS Maine entering Havana harbor, January 1898. US Department of Defense Anchoring in the center of the harbor, Maine was afforded the usual courtesies by the Spanish authorities. Though the arrival of Maine had a calming effect on the situation in the city, the Spanish remained wary of American intentions. Wishing to prevent a possible incident involving his men, Sigsbee restricted them to the ship and no liberty was given. In the days after Maines arrival, Sigsbee met regularly with the US Consul, Fitzhugh Lee. Discussing the state of affairs on the island, they both recommended that another ship be sent when it was time for Maine to depart. Rear Admiral Charles D. Sigsbee. US Naval History and Heritage Command Loss of Maine At 9:40 on the evening of February 15, the harbor was lit by a massive explosion that ripped through the forward section of Maine as five tons of powder for the ships guns detonated. Destroying the forward third of the ship, Maine sank into the harbor. Immediately, assistance came from the American steamer City of Washington and the Spanish cruiser Alfonso XII, with boats circling the burning remains of the battleship to collect the survivors. All told, 252 were killed in the blast, with another eight dying ashore in the days that followed. Investigation Throughout the ordeal, the Spanish showed great compassion for the injured and respect for the dead American sailors. Their behavior led Sigsbee to inform the Navy Department that public opinion should be suspended until further report, as he felt that the Spanish were not involved in the sinking of his ship. To investigate the loss of Maine, the Navy swiftly formed a board of inquiry. Due to the state of the wreck and a lack of expertise, their investigation was not as thorough as subsequent efforts. On March 28, the board announced that the ship had been sunk by a naval mine. The boards finding unleashed a wave of public outrage across the United States and fueled calls for war. While not the cause of the Spanish-American War, shouts of Remember the Maine! served to accelerate the approaching diplomatic impasse over Cuba. On April 11, McKinley asked Congress for permission to intervene in Cuba and ten days later ordered a naval blockade of the island. This final step led to Spain declaring war on April 23, with the United States following suit on the 25th. Aftermath In 1911, a second inquiry was made into the sinking of Maine following a request to remove the wreck from the harbor. Constructing a cofferdam around the ships remains, the salvage effort permitted investigators to probe the wreck. Examining the bottom hull plates around the forward reserve magazine, investigators found that they were bent inward and back. Using this information they again concluded that a mine had been detonated under the ship. While accepted by the Navy, the boards findings were disputed by experts in the field, some of whom put forward a theory that the combustion of coal dust in a bunker adjacent to the magazine had sparked the explosion. Workers preparing to raise the wreck of USS Maine, 1910. US Naval History and Heritage Command The case of USS Maine was reopened in 1974, by Admiral Hyman G. Rickover who believed that modern science might be able to provide an answer to the ships loss. After consulting experts and reexamining the documents from the first two investigations, Rickover and his team concluded that the damage was inconsistent with that caused by a mine. Rickover stated that the most likely cause was a coal dust fire. In the years after Rickovers report, his findings have been disputed and to this day there has been no final answer as to what caused the explosion.