“A Laborer at Celeyran”
This lovely oil on canvas painting from 1882 is by the French Post-Impressionist artist, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and is titled “A Laborer at Celeyran”.
Toulouse-Lautrec was born into a wealthy aristocratic family in southern France, whose lineage could be traced back to the time of Charlemagne. This is one of his earlier paintings which he made when he was just 18 years old and living at Celeyran, the castle and estate where he lived with his family. Celeyran was also his mother’s maiden name.
Toulouse-Lautrec was born with congenital health problems that were further aggravated by trauma. He developed a love for art early in his life as it was something he could do to pass the time while convalescing. Later this year, in 1882, under the guidance of his father’s friend and art tutor, René Princeteau, Toulouse-Lautrec moved to Paris to pursue his artistic endeavors.
“A Laborer at Celeyran” is currently on display at the Musée Toulouse-Lautrec in Albi, France, near where Toulouse-Lautrec was born and raised. With over a thousand pieces, this museum has the largest collection of his works. The majority of pieces in this museum were donated by his mother after his untimely death in 1901 at just 36 years of age.
For more on Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
