Toulouse-Lautrec, "Moulin Rouge, Dance"

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, "At the Moulin Rouge: The Dance," c.1889-90; The Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Paintings by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec are often brightened up and "prettified" in reproductions, when, in fact, his intention was often the opposite, to portray both the active life and the sombre realities of the demimonde. Adding color and heightening contrast also tends to damage the work's sense of space and depth, obscuring rather than enhancing the contrast that the artist meant to achieve — between the figures in the foreground and the activity going on in the background. In addition, as shown in the artificially colorized reproduction below, excess contrast frequently blots out a lot of detail. Although an original Toulouse-Lautrec might be less colorful, in most cases it's probably more realistic, and certainly more in line with the artist's highly recognizable style.

Altered version of a painting by Toulouse-Lautrec.