I never really knew much about the Swiss born painter Félix Vallotton (1865-1925) but I always found myself stopping whenever I came across one of his paintings, particularly those that were in the vein of the painting above, Evening on the Loire, from 1923. I loved the way he blocked in the forms in his compositions, very much in a manner that I could identify with in my own work.
But his name didn’t bring instant recognition for me, not like the big names from his contemporaries from that incredible time of change for the art world around the turn of the last century. But looking at his work, both as a painter and a printmaker, makes me wonder why this was the case. It is most distinctive work, in many ways bolder and different than that of his peers. His print series, Intimacies, from which I show a few below, is a fascinating group that I have learned was highly influential on the paintings of Edward Hopper and the films of Alfred Hitchcock. I can easily see that connection now.
Maybe his lack of of recognition came from the fact that he didn’t seek the spotlight personally or write much on his work. Doing a quick search turned up little. No outrageous quotes or wild stories.
Well, whatever the case, perhaps we will soon know a bit more about this artist as the Metropolitan Museum of Art has a large exhibit of his work, Félix Vallotton: Painter of Disquiet, opening late in October and running through the end of January in 2020. It traces his career from his association with Les Nabis, the painting group heavily influenced by Paul Gauguin and Cezanne, through his woodblock prints and his later paintings that became more like his prints, compositionally.
I am not going to go into a bio here. I just wanted to make folks just a tiny bit more aware of his work. I had a hard time stopping when I was adding images for this post. See for yourself. I know I usually see at least a few things I want to “borrow” whenever I look at it.
Félix Vallotton- The Visit 1899
Félix Vallotton- The Red Room 1898
Félix Vallotton- Interior with Couple and Screen 1898
Félix Vallotton- Interior with Woman in Red 1903
Félix Vallotton- Intimacies V: Money
Félix Vallotton- Intimacies: The Murder
Félix Vallotton- Intimacies I: The Lie
Félix Vallotton- Nuit Effet de Lune Suisse
Félix Vallotton- The Pond 1909
Félix Vallotton- Moonlight 1895
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I’m surprised that I like the black and white paintings so much. And I really was struck by the clouds in the last painting, and in Nuit Effet de Lune Suisse. The colors in that one are luscious, too, although it feels a little strange that the clouds and trees seem headed in different directions.