Édouard Vuillard

His mother was a seamstress, and Vuillard grew up in a building with her sewing workshop. His unique style, where patterns blend with figures, was strongly influenced by the colorful textiles he was surrounded by as a child.¹

NovÉdouard Vuillard was born on November 11, 1868, in Cuiseaux, France.²

He met Maurice Denis and Ker-Xavier Roussel at Lycée Condorcet, later forming the avant-garde group 'Les Nabis.' Meaning 'The Prophets,' the group aimed to break away from traditional realism.¹

Vuillard rejected naturalism, believing that 'form or color exists only in relation to another.' He established an artistic philosophy viewing paintings as compositions of interrelated colors and shapes.¹

Édouard Vuillard painted a self-portrait in 1889.²

Members of Les Nabis had secret nicknames; Vuillard was called 'Nabi Zouave' due to his military service. The group maintained a mystical and ritualistic atmosphere in their gatherings.¹

Around 1890, Vuillard experimented with his first Synthetist works.³

An avid collector of over 180 Japanese prints, he was influenced by their flat compositions. His 'Intimist' style is characterized by decorative layouts where figures blend into wallpaper patterns, eschewing perspective.¹

Sharing a studio with director Lugné-Poe, he designed sets and programs for symbolist theater. His work in the theater was a key turning point, fostering his sense of spatial composition and interest in large-scale decorative painting.¹

Drawing from theater experience, he used 'distemper' (peinture à la colle) with rabbit-skin glue for interior decorations. This fast-drying technique allowed for finer detail and vivid colors with a matte finish.¹

He formed close ties with the Natanson brothers, founders of 'La Revue Blanche,' and created decorative panels for their homes. He treated easel painting and decorative art as equals, integrating art into daily life.¹

In 1893, Vuillard co-founded Aurélien Lugné-Poe's Théâtre de l'Oeuvre.⁴

After the Nabis disbanded around 1900, his style shifted toward realism. He began depicting landscapes and interiors with greater detail and vivid colors, moving away from the flat decorativeness of his early period.¹

In the 1920s and 30s, he painted many portraits of French industrial and artistic figures. He preferred depicting subjects within their intimate, everyday interior spaces rather than as isolated figures.¹

JunÉdouard Vuillard died on June 21, 1940, at the age of 71, in La Baule.²