The center above the chair is marked by what appears to be a void of maroon red, placated with an uncomfortable, parsed texture that almost conceals the red-haired woman it covers. In the end, I suppose, what the artist chooses to emphasize is purely a matter of taste or style, and I can see how deluding contrast in this area to blend with the other black colors can lead your eye to the abundant subjects in the background, but in doing so I feel there leaves a lack of motion in an active environment.
I do enjoy, however, the creative use of complementary colors and balance in the painting. Dull blues run across the top background and gradate into earthen reds below, while effectively contrasting the two colorations throughout the piece. The patrons of the Moulin Rouge are predominantly dressed in boldly dark reds and blacks, giving emphasis to them as the main subjects. The tophats as well as the formation of the central subjects create square shapes that both balance and frame themselves within the work. But these are largely rudementary points, and I must confess, do little to truly grab me.
One painting I did find myself enjoying, however, was Edouard Manet's Luncheon on the Grass, depicted on page 386 of the 7th edition text, plate number 556. This piece, like the previous one stated above, uses dark tones in contrast with lighter ones. The men's clothing are pitch black, while their faces are bright with lightness. And though their expressions are all but empty, it still creates a sense of emotion within it. Namely the striking depiction of the nude woman laying next to the fully-clothed men, invoking a sense of pleasure and leisure, perhaps even promiscuity.
This piece, unlike Lautrec's, uses predominantly cool colors rich in tone to frame its subjects. The fruit basket as well as the woman in the center background, leads your eye up into the light located behind the trees, while the utter lack of chiaroscuro shading and face-fowardness of the man and woman drives a bold force into the characters themselves.