His (poster) masterpieces define the limits of poster style: where Cheret epitomizes a completely external, impersonal viewpoint, Lautrec is the embodiment of internal, personal vision with a point to make, not, to be sure, a moral judgment, but rather an amused, wry observation on the passing scene.

          

"Lautrec’s distinctive oeuvre is viewed as both the bridge between Post Impressionism and Art Nouveau aesthetics as well as painting and the graphic arts during the late 19th century. His lithographs, posters and advertisements, which promoted the bohemian entertainers of Montmartre, elevated popular print culture to the realm of fine art. The details of his life have captured the cultural memory: his physical handicap, his addictions and ribald participation in the bohemian lifestyle of the 1880s and 90s. More significant than these, Toulouse Lautrec depicted the melancholy, humor and humanity beneath the glamor, grit and pageantry of the dance halls he frequented. His flattened forms, severe angles, snipped compositions and acidic colors that bordered on abstraction contributed to the evolution of the Parisian avant-garde." (Sotheby's.com)