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Foliage—Oak Tree and Fruit Seller

A work made of distemper on canvas.
© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

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  • A work made of distemper on canvas.

Date:

1918

Artist:

Édouard Vuillard
French, 1868–1940

About this artwork

This large, tapestry-like canvas depicts the lush view from the second-story window of the artist’s vacation home near Versailles, France. Using a limited palette of greens and yellows with pops of lavender, Vuillard achieved a remarkable range of textures and tonalities, from the sunlit tree bark to the velvety foliage deep in the shadows. The visually dense composition vibrates in the eye and envelops the viewer. In order to enhance the painting’s decorative qualities, Vuillard mixed dry pigment with melted glue, a technique called distemper. This creates a tactile, tufted surface that differs greatly from the slick aesthetic of traditional oil painting.

Status

On View, Gallery 244

Department

Painting and Sculpture of Europe

Artist

Édouard Jean Vuillard

Title

Foliage—Oak Tree and Fruit Seller

Place

France (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1918

Medium

Distemper on canvas

Inscriptions

Signed, l.r.: "E Vuillard"

Dimensions

193 × 283.2 cm (76 × 111 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

A Millennium Gift of Sara Lee Corporation

Reference Number

1999.373

Copyright

© 2018 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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