Equestrienne (At the Cirque Fernando)

Painted in 1888 and now at the Art Institute of Chicago, this work depicting an equestrienne at the Cirque Fernando is among Lautrec's most celebrated early canvases and his most direct engagement with Degas's precedent in circus subjects. The Cirque Fernando — a permanent indoor circus on the Boulevard de Rochechouart in Montmartre — was painted by both Degas and Renoir as well as Lautrec, and his version presents the female bareback rider in performance with the characteristic off-centre viewpoint and radical cropping that he had absorbed from Degas and from Japanese prints. The Art Institute of Chicago holds a major Post-Impressionist collection.

The composition employs a dramatically tilted viewpoint looking down into the circus ring, with the circular arena creating a strong geometric armature. The ringmaster in the foreground and the performing horse and rider are observed from an angle that compresses space in the manner of Japanese prints, creating a distinctive flatness despite the dynamic subject.