‘En quarante’ (In their Forties)

Lautrec was a phenomenal draughtsman. Using just a few chalk lines, he here characterized an elderly couple, weary of one another and glumly sitting at a table with a drink before them. Attention is focused almost entirely on the facial expressions of the man and woman; their clothing betrays their comfortable circumstances. The artist made observations such as this one in nightclubs and brothels, where he spent most of his time.