Edouard Vuillard
1868 - 1940
Vuillard was born at Cuiseaux, Sâone-et-Loire, the son of a retired army officer. The family moved to Paris in 1877 and Vuillard became a student at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1886, later moving to the Académie Julian. There he met Bonnard and other painters with whom he founded the Nabis in 1889 (the name derived from the Hebrew for prophet).
The group, influenced by Gauguin and Degas, concentrated on pattern and distortion to emphasise psychological meanings beyond appearances in ordinary domestic subjects, though Bonnard and Vuillard returned by the end of the century to a more naturalistic style. As well as his smaller paintings, Vuillard executed from 1892 to 1937 large decorative schemes, including stage scenery. He was elected to the Institut in 1938.
The group, influenced by Gauguin and Degas, concentrated on pattern and distortion to emphasise psychological meanings beyond appearances in ordinary domestic subjects, though Bonnard and Vuillard returned by the end of the century to a more naturalistic style. As well as his smaller paintings, Vuillard executed from 1892 to 1937 large decorative schemes, including stage scenery. He was elected to the Institut in 1938.
Related paintings
The National Gallery, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN