Confettis

Painted in 1893 and now at the Kunsthaus Zürich, this work connects to the festive culture of Parisian masquerade balls and seasonal celebrations that Lautrec documented throughout his Montmartre years. Confetti — the paper scraps thrown at carnival celebrations — was associated with the uninhibited social mixing and temporary license of Mardi Gras and similar events. Lautrec was deeply embedded in the social culture of Montmartre's cabarets and dance halls, and festive occasions were particular opportunities to observe the crowd dynamics he found endlessly compelling. The work may relate to or prefigure his subsequent lithographic posters for such events.

The subject provides natural justification for fragmented, scattered marks across the surface, connecting Lautrec's graphic sensibility to the physical scatter of the festive material itself. The palette likely contrasts vivid colour confetti against the figures and background, exploiting the subject's inherent chromatic variety.