Vuillard, Édouard-Jean

(1868-1940)

   painter, watercolorist, scenery designer, engineer

   Known for his intimate interiors and individualistic techniques, Édouard-Jean Vuillard was born in Cuiseaux, saône-et-Loire and studied art in Paris. A member of the nabis group, he was part of the symbolist milieu and, interested in the decorative arts, worked for the Théâtre-Libre and the théâtre de l'Œuvre. His main inspiration, however, was not the Nabis but Japanese prints and the paintings of puvis de chavannes (Le Lit, 1891). As a symbolist, he preferred intimate scenes in calm, bourgeois settings (Femme au corsage bleu), painted with a discreet charm and refined palette of muted tones (La Mère d'Artiste, 1893). He painted on cardboard, mixing media—oil, gouache, and pastel—and his decorative style is characterized by the lavish use of pattern, with fabrics, wallpaper, and upholstery often juxtaposed to create a collagelike effect (La Soupe d'Annette, 1900). He produced great decorative murals. Although extremely popular in his time, Vuillard's style was too far from the mainstream of modern art to be of significant influence.