Édouard Vuillard

"Lilacs"
Oil on cardboard, 14 x 11 1/8
Édouard Vuillard, 1892

Meet one of my favorite artists, Édouard Vuillard. I was first drawn to Vuillard's work because of his evocative paintings of interiors. As I learned more about him, I became fascinated by his early work as part of the "Nabis", a group of avant-garde French painters working in the 1890's. The Nabis rebelled against the old-line, classical academies of art, as well as against the new-fangled Impressionists. The term "Nabis" is from the Hebrew word for prophet. Indeed, these painters are said to have paved the way to what we know today as modern art.

Self Portrait
Eduard Vuillard, 1890

The rallying cry of the Nabis were the words of Maurice Denis. He said that a picture, more than representing a subject, "is essentially a flat surface covered with colors arranged in a certain order." The Nabis used color in purely instinctive ways, and were unconcerned with a literal representation of nature. Their work was abstracted and simplified. They often eliminated details, and flattened the subject matter. "Lilacs", at the top of this post, is a beautiful example of Vuillard's work as one of the Nabis. I also found the above self-portrait by Vuillard, which clearly reflects the Nabis sensibilities.

Self-Portrait
Édouard Vuillard, 1889

If you ever needed proof that an artist's style evolves over time, look no further than a second Vuillard self-portrait, immediately above. I am amazed that the same hand painted both of these pictures!

"Misa and Thadee"
Édouard Vuillard, 1897

Even more amazing is Vuilard's evolution from the Nabis days to his mature works. In fact, Stuart Preston notes that Vuillard never worked in the Nabis manner again, after he discovered his own true style. Preston might say that Vuilllard's own style was that of an "intimist"--a painter who undertook an intense exploration of the households of ordinary people. Preston calls this style a journey into the "mysterious poetic significance of everyday life and inanimate objects."

"Interior: Woman before a Window"
Oil on Panel, 24 3/4 x 22 3/4
Édouard Vuillard, 1900

I find Vuillard's interiors simply magical. His fascination with the decoration of the rooms is such that it often overwhelms or obscures the human figures. The rooms themselves seem to have a life of their own. I could not say it better than Andre Gide did. He said that Vuillard's work is art "speaking in a low tone, suitable for confidences". Intimate, indeed.