When he was a kid Toulouse- Lautrec broke both his legs, but at different ages. (I forget when) The bones were not able to heal correctly and as a result, ceased to grow. The rest of his body grew at a Normal rate and left him less than five feet tall. Because of this he spent a lot of time painting when his friends were playing. As he became older, he fell in love with the Night-life, and really, who can blame him? He lived a life of excess, whores, Nightclubs, dancehalls, and the track. He would drink himself stupid at those places and sketch out the scenes. The next morning he would paint them. The resulting paintings were fun; people Drinking, dancing and partying. A Ball at the Moulin de la Galette and At the Moilin de la Galette Dance Hall He painted some serious ones too, Along the Seine, Alone, Albert (Ren Grenier) but these were less famous.
Eventually, his life style caught up with him. Too dependent on booze, he ended up committed and then in his mother's care before he died at the Beginning of last Century. He was 37.

This guy is a more decadent take on Edgard Degas. Similar approach and subject matter, but more seedy in its narrative focus, more open in its execution, freer in form. Great draftsman who did better with his graphic work and drawing than anything else. Certainly a creature of his time and a noteworthy figure in early modernism.

Who could not love a lil' midget who pimped and wooed can-can girls at the moulin rouge?