Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec Monfa, a French artist, was born to the family of the Comte Alfonse and Comtess Adelle de Toulouse-Lautrec on November 24, 1864. He was a sickly boy from the very beginning, owing mostly to the fact that since his family is of the French aristocracy; his lineage was tainted by years of incest, and the corresponding genetic disorders commonly derived from it. An example of such incest is the marriage of his parents who are first cousins. Scholars mainly attribute a genetic disorder to cause the events that would eventually change his life forever. The disease Henri was inflicted with is called Pyknodysostosis and was, in more modern times, renamed after him as Toulouse-Lautrec Syndrome. This very uncommon disease of the bone causing rickets, and eventually causing leg bones to cease growing, was discovered in Henri in his pre-teens, when he had fractured both his legs, in two separate accidents. Although his torso continued to grow, his legs retained their length as when they were fractured, never to heal. His full adult height was merely 4’5”. After his mishaps, he was secluded within the walls of his home, mostly painting or drawing on any surface available. When he turned 18 years old, he became the student of a prominent artist in Paris, where his artistic skills were more thoroughly developed. He then spent the remainder of his life in the Parisian town of Montmartre living with art and liquor, in one of the liveliest and most well known entertainment districts in the world. He died at the age of 37 due to excessive alcohol intake, which aggravated a venereal disease he had earlier gotten.

Individual Psychology can look at Toulouse-Lautrec’s development in many ways, but what is most prominent in his example is his exemplar will to strive for success. Although he was greatly stunted by his body, this never stopped him from wanting to excel in things that he could excel in, and as a direct consequence of his inability to exemplify himself in other aspects of living such as sports, he simply shrugged away the subject in a very cynical, defensive manner, as was attested to by friends and acquaintances. Henri was a very intelligent child to begin with. Documentations of his childhood show him as an aggressive figure who hated to lose. He also established dominance over others to compensate for his weak physiology. He liked to show off his intelligence to all, once talking in perfect English to the family’s vassals, just to show off his knowledge. He also made it a point to be competitive, yet to maintain a friendly relationship with his cousins and siblings. After the incidence of his fractures though, he dwelt more on art and the theatre as his stage for success striving. His art which uses a post modernist style ala Degas is different from other post modernists. His inspiration came mostly from the daily life in Montmartre, from the walking hours of a couple in bed, to the lively night shows of the French cabarets, or scenes within the brothels, which he used to frequent. His work is said to be more vivid, yet more realistic than most post modernists. He paid a very great attention to detail, and persevered to maintain the realism of his work, while giving it more passion through more vivid coloring, and at all times maintaining the high artistic value of aesthetics. He prided himself in his work. Although he maintained many idols in the artistic sense, he always wanted to be different if not better than them.

In friendships, he chose the avant garde. He was continuously with cabaret dancers, prostitutes, fellow artists, and stage actors. He respected all equally, and had a strangely strong belief in human equality, which is a kind of reaction formation for being treated so differently by others. His friends maintain though that he was for the most part, a “frank and cynical sardonic.” He was said to have treated everyone equally, but equal in the sense that they were all treated with the same indifferent mocking. They also attest to the fact that he was prone to depression attacks, especially when he sees a person who “lives a life he cannot live.” Henri always considered himself a huntsman manque or human hunter. He loved seeking out people that piqued jis interest. Biographies show that this may be because of his training in hunting when he was younger. Since his body failed to allow him ro hunt foxes and game, he hunted people, in a sense. Another expression of his drive for superiority is the fact that he loved boating. He was resigned to the fact that he could not excel in sports because of his disability, but as boating doesn’t need string legs, but rather, a strong torso, he strove to excel in it. Another example is his love of dressing up, or being in the theatre. His father had the very same hobby, and the believed reason for his inheritance of the hobby is that initially he treated his father as a rival, yet he loved his father. His costumes were always more modern, or more diverse than his father’s.

In summary, Individual Psychology states that the reason for striving for perfection is to overcome difficulties. It also states that success striving is a mechanism of the inferiority complex. How much one strives due to the inferiority complex is dependent on the degree of trained social interest. Adaptation, training, and learning are important for striving for success to ensue. In Henri’s case, we see that it is in some way a textbook case. He only strived in areas wherein he was trained or grew accustomed to, such as in art, theatre, and languages. As his physical state inhibited his mental capacity, and since a trained social interest in sports and hunting was also instilled, Henri made up for his deficiency by finding similar niches that suited his disability. Another very interesting fact is that he never cried. Even when he was in extreme pain, or in his childhood when he broke his legs and they discovered they would never heal or grow, he never shed a tear. He maintained his stance of superiority until the day he died. His last words, given to his own father were, “You old fool.”