Sunday, February 9, 2014

Sunday Salon: Felix Vallotton

'The White Beach' 1913- source

'View of Cagnes from Horseback' 1921 - source

'The Family of Trees' 1922 - source

'Femme Couchee, Dormant' 1899 - source

'The Gorse in Bloom' 1923 - source

'Box Seats at the Theater, the Gentleman and the Lady' 1909 - source

'The Visit' 1899 - source

'Chateau Gaillard at Andelys' 1924 - source

'Verdun' 1917 - source

'Self-Portrait with the Dressing Gown' 1914 - source - And one of my all time favorite paintings.

'The Violin' Woodblock - source

'Le Bon Marche' 1899 - source

'Henrik Ibsen' Woodcut 1894 - source

'Portrait of Composer Hector Berlioz' 1902 - source

'Passersby' also known as 'Street Scene' 1897 - source

Felix Vallotton (1865 - 1925) was a prolific Swiss painter, woodblock artist and print maker. He was born in Lausanne but in 1900 he married and became a French citizen. His work metamorphosed into various styles over his lifetime as you can see from my selections on today's salon and he was an important influence on the graphic styles of artists like Aubrey Beardsley and Edvard Munch. During the 1890's, Vallotton, Edouard Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard, among others, were closely affiliated with Les Nabis (Nabi means Prophet in Hebrew and Arabic), a group of post-impressionist painters and avant-garde artists.

I am especially fond of his landscapes as well as his portraiture and starkly appealing woodcuts.

To learn more about Felix Vallotton and his work, please use the links provided.

16 comments:

  1. One of those whose work is much better remembered than his name...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think his name is kind of catchy. :) I discovered Vallotton sometime within the past three or so years. Thank goodness for the internet. Love his work.

      Delete
  2. Loved seeing this work Yvette and especially Chateau Gaillard at Andelys. It looks as if he is already embracing and anticipating Art Deco before it has actually arrived.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I think so, Rosemary. He was a great influence. I'm going to do a post about his caricatures and woodcuts one of these days.

      Delete
  3. Jinx! I also like 'Chateau Gaillard'. I also agree with Rosemary regarding the very art deco look and feel to his work. I think it is the bright colours in contrast to the pale almost dream-like quality of many edwardian era paintings.
    Kirk

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And I agree with both of you, Kirk.

      Vallotton was unlucky in a way - he was working at a very busy artistic time when all you had to do was shake a tree and an artist would fall out of it. He sort of got lost in the shuffle. So to speak.

      Delete
  4. Yvette, what dazzling colours.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I agree, David. Vallotton was a master of black and white, but also of color. He was just a very accomplished artist.

      Delete
  5. Dear Yvette,

    Thanks for sharing the art of Felix Vallotton. Like Rosemary, I'm very taken by the painting of Chateau Gaillard, which is so rich in its lighting. For me it evokes that special time before sunset that I like to call "Pink Time." It seems Vallotton was way ahead of his time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome, Mark. Sometimes when you're ahead of your time you tend to be nay-sayed or ignored. Vallotton deserves to be much better known.

      'Pink Time.' I like it.

      Delete
  6. Marvellous stuff - thanks Yvette, I would have been hard pressed to put a name to the work.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You're welcome, Sergio. Well, now you know. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I like several of these paintings, which are in color. Vallotton is a new to me author, but I'm so glad I stopped by for another chapter in my art education.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're very welcome, Kathy. Vallotton is one of my favorites.

      Delete
  9. I meant artist, not author. Oh, blogging late at night, the brain cells aren't alert.

    A friend who likes Vallotton is going to show me his paintings on her IPod, which she purchased especially for its excellent showing of artwork.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you're liking Vallotton's work, Kathy. He is really quite wonderful and deserving of being remembered.

      Delete

Your comment will appear after I take a look.