Intérieur rouge (1902)

Vuillard, Édouard (1868-1940)

Intérieur rouge (Red Interior)
1902
Oil on tan paper mounted to cradled panel, 37.1 x 51.1 cm
Barnes FoundationPhiladelphia

Vuillard never married, and he lived with his mother, a seamstress, for her entire life. He often depicted his mother in his paintings. Here she sits sewing in their dining room, to the left of a table laid with blue-and-white dishes and a jug of flowers. Summarily painted with daubs of white and mauve, she almost looks like an extension of the tablecloth. Vuillard constructed both the tablecloth and the sideboard behind Mme. Vuillard from exposed ground. The tan paper support provides a neutral tone in the center of the room’s bright red walls. (BF)