How did Fernand Cormon encourage Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s artistic development?

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Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec: At the Moulin Rouge — Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec *At the Moulin Rouge*, oil on canvas by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, 1892–95; in the Art Institute of Chicago.

Fernand Cormon encouraged Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s artistic development by providing him with significant freedom to cultivate his own personal style, rather than strictly enforcing rigid academic rules. Unlike his previous teacher, Léon Bonnat, who was known for harsh criticism, Cormon was described as being much kinder in his corrections. He consistently looked at the work his students presented and offered steady encouragement.1

Cormon’s approval of Toulouse-Lautrec’s talent was further demonstrated when he selected the young artist to assist him in illustrating a definitive edition of the works of Victor Hugo. Despite this support, Toulouse-Lautrec eventually found the studio's academic regimen of copying models to be restrictive, leading him to eventually leave the studio to establish his own workspace in Montmartre.1