An artwork on Galleree from The Art Institute of Chicago.
About the artwork
Foliage—Oak Tree and Fruit SellerÉdouard Vuillard
French, 1868–1940
1918
France
193 × 283.2 cm (76 × 111 1/2 in.)
Distemper on canvas
A Millennium Gift of Sara Lee Corporation
['Post-Impressionism']
['landscapes']
['painting', 'modern and contemporary art']
['distemper']
This large, tapestry-like canvas depicts the lush view from the second-story window of the artist’s vacation home near Versailles, France. Using a limited palette of greens and yellows with pops of lavender, Vuillard achieved a remarkable range of textures and tonalities, from the sunlit tree bark to the velvety foliage deep in the shadows. The visually dense composition vibrates in the eye and envelops the viewer. In order to enhance the painting’s decorative qualities, Vuillard mixed dry pigment with melted glue, a technique called distemper. This creates a tactile, tufted surface that differs greatly from the slick aesthetic of traditional oil painting.
| attributed to Art Institute of Chicago under CC-By license
In the peaceful quiet of a gentle afternoon, one can almost hear the soft rustle of leaves through the second-story window of an artist's vacation home near Versailles, France. It is in this serene sanctuary that a large, tapestry-like canvas comes to life, capturing a lush, verdant landscape glistening under the embrace of daylight.
The artist, Édouard Vuillard, adorned the canvas with a carefully chosen palette, a harmonious blend of greens and yellows punctuated by delicate pops of lavender. Each stroke of his brush conjures a world alive with texture and emotion, as sunlit tree bark catches the light and velvety foliage lies in quiet shadows. It is as if the very essence of nature has been captured, vibrating within the eye, wrapping gently around the viewer like a warm embrace.
Vuillard's skill is not solely in the colors he chose, but also in the innovative technique he employed—mixing dry pigment with melted glue, a method known as distemper. This gives the painting a unique tactile quality, a tufted surface that beckons to be touched, challenging the smooth aesthetics often found in traditional oil painting. The lushness of the artwork creates a bond between the viewer and the inviting landscape, encouraging them to step beyond the frame and into a tranquil moment spent in nature’s embrace.
As the light shifts and dances across the canvas, it becomes more than just a painting; it transforms into a doorway, inviting us to linger a little longer in that whimsical place of dreams and tranquility.
About the artist
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