Art is the Solution

Nuit Effet de Lune Source: Wikimedia Commons French painter Félix Vallotton is probably best known for his paintings of domestic life in nineteenth century Paris. While his interior scenes have been rightly praised, he also executed many fascinating landscapes throughout his career. Vallotton took an unconventional approach to landscapes, painting from odd or unusual angles. He was known for throwing out the rule book when it came to these scenes, choosing instead to simplify such scenes into something that gave emotional resonance. Vallotton seemed to be particularly interested in the night sky, a subject he returned to several times throughout his artistic career. Nuit Effet de Lune depicts a moonlit night sky filled with puffy, pillowy clouds. Dark trees are outlined against the sky. The composition of the scene suggests that it was painted from the point of view of someone laying on their back and looking up, perhaps a stargazer. The colors in the piece are extraordinary. The brig...

La Loge de Theatre Source: Wikimedia Commons Swiss-French artist Felix Vallotton’s paintings are often labeled unsettling and dynamic and La Loge de Theatre (which translates to Box Seats at the Theater) is no different. Vallotton developed his unique and startling artistic style in the rich and vibrant milieu of the Parisian artistic scene. In the wake of the Impressionist movement, Post-Impressionist artists like Vallotton sought to challenge the rules and conventions of art in new and interesting ways. Vallotton accomplished this by imbuing his paintings with a sense of authenticity and psychological reality. La Loge de Theatre is a fine example of this quality in his work. The piece depicts a man and a woman sitting in a theatre box, gazing down at the viewer from behind the yellow wall of the box. Compositionally, it is quite a strange painting. The two figures are drawn back from the edge of the box, barely visible over the edge of the balcony. In fact, the man’s face is on...

Perseus Killing the Dragon Source: Wikimedia Commons A few weeks ago, I wrote about Edward Burne-Jones’ artistic interpretation of the legend of Perseus . Though Burne-Jones’ work is masterful, he was far from the only artist to tackle the subject. The story of Perseus has been a popular subject throughout the history of Western art; however, few artists approached it with as much imagination as the Swiss and French painter Félix Vallotton. Vallotton, who has been called the painter of disquiet, is known for the direct and authentic quality of his work, which gives his paintings an unprecedented degree of psychological depth. His painting Perseus Killing the Dragon is an example of this element of his work. The legend of Perseus comes from Greek mythology. It tells the story of the heroic son of Zeus, Perseus, who embarks on a mission to save and marry the princess Andromeda. Vallotton’s painting depicts a moment from the Perseus legend in which the hero saves Andromeda from a m...

Interior with Woman in Red Seen from Behind Source: MET Museum In a recent exhibition, the Metropolitan Museum of Art named French artist Felix Vallotton the painter of disquiet. I think this is a very accurate way to describe Vallotton’s work. There is a quality of directness and authenticity in his work that gives his paintings the ring of psychological truth. While Vallotton’s paintings usually depict everyday scenes of Parisian life, his approach to art adds complexity and challenge to what would otherwise be rather conventional images. Interior with Woman in Red Seen from Behind is an excellent example of this aspect of his work. It is an unusual and highly original painting. Here, we can see a series of four rooms with the doors open between each room. A woman stands in the second room, facing away from the viewer. It is a strange painting, offering an odd view of an interior space. The viewer can see a glimpse of each room, but the painting only hints at what’s happening in...

Clair de Lune Source: Wikimedia Commons French painter Félix Vallotton is probably best known for his paintings of domestic life in nineteenth century Paris. While his interior scenes have been rightly praised, he also executed many fascinating landscapes throughout his career. Of these paintings, my personal favorite is Clair de Lune , which depicts the moon—half hidden by clouds—shining down on an empty field. Its light is reflected on the surface of a river, giving the painting a slightly eerie sense of symmetry. As many art historians have noted, Vallotton took an unconventional approach to landscapes, painting from odd or unusual angles. Vallotton was known for throwing out the rule book when it came to these scenes, choosing instead to simplify such scenes into something that gave emotional resonance. As Vallotton once wrote: "I dream of a painting entirely disengaged from any literal concern about nature. I want to construct landscapes entirely based on the emotions ...

Woman Reading to a Little Girl Source: WikiArt In a recent exhibition, the Metropolitan Museum of Art named French artist Felix Vallotton the painter of disquiet. I think this is a very accurate way to describe Vallotton’s work. There is a quality of directness and authenticity in his work that gives his paintings the ring of psychological truth. While Vallotton’s paintings usually depict everyday scenes of Parisian life, his approach to art adds complexity and challenge to what would otherwise be rather conventional images. Woman Reading to a Little Girl is a good example of this aspect of his work. Vallotton was quite interested in interior, domestic scenes and knew how to use compositional elements of these settings to maximum possible effect. Here, the painting centers around a woman and a little girl; both are oblivious to the viewer’s gaze, carefully studying the book they are reading together instead. They are the main figures of the painting, but, in some ways, they are out...

La Paresse Source: Museum of Modern Art Over the past few days, I’ve touched on some heavy topics in art, so today I want to talk about a piece of art that tickles me: Laziness ( La Paresse ) by Félix Vallotton. I first encountered this woodcut while scrolling through the Instagram account of one of the museums I follow (unfortunately I can’t remember which one) and found it very amusing. After doing some research, I’ve learned that Vallotton is well known for his woodcuts (like Laziness ) as well as his realistic yet unemotional style. This approach creates a sense of tension in his work, although it’s not really present in the piece we’re discussing today. As the title suggests, Laziness depicts the essence of indolence (as imagined by the artist). A nude woman lies languorously on a bed, reaching out a hand to a cat who is in the act of jumping onto the bed. Cats are stereotypically considered to be lazy animals (although, as a person, who lives with two cats, I have to say th...