Who painted Les attitudes sont faciles et chastes?

Les attitudes sont faciles et chastes was painted by Maurice Denis in 1896.

Where can I see Les attitudes sont faciles et chastes?

Les attitudes sont faciles et chastes is held by National Gallery of Art.

What movement is Les attitudes sont faciles et chastes?

Les attitudes sont faciles et chastes is associated with Impressionism.

Artwork

Les attitudes sont faciles et chastes

Maurice Denis , 1896

Les attitudes sont faciles et chastes is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Maurice Denis. It dates from 1896 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1896, *Les attitudes sont faciles et chastes* is a color lithograph executed on thin, yellow‑cream wove paper.

Created in 1896, *Les attitudes sont faciles et chastes* is a color lithograph executed on thin, yellow‑cream wove paper. The image portrays a solitary woman with her head resting on her hand, gazing downward, set against a softened garden scene that includes a tree, a winding path, and a distant figure rendered in blue. The palette of pinks, greens and blues contributes to a tranquil, almost hazy atmosphere.

Subject & Meaning

The French title translates to “Attitudes are easy and chaste,” suggesting a moment of modest, unpretentious repose. The composition emphasizes quiet introspection, with the figure’s downcast posture and the gentle, unhurried landscape reinforcing a sense of calm simplicity.

Technique & Style

Denis employed the lithographic process, a planographic printmaking method that allows for fluid, sketch‑like marks. By layering color inks on the paper, he achieved a delicate tonal range and a slightly blurred effect, characteristic of his late‑nineteenth‑century aesthetic that balances decorative flatness with atmospheric softness.

Context

At the time of this work, Maurice Denis was a prominent member of the Les Nabis, a group that merged Symbolist ideas with decorative art. Though later associated with Neo‑classicist tendencies, his practice in the 1890s still reflected the Nabis’ interest in flat color, spiritual content, and the integration of text and image, influencing subsequent movements such as Fauvism and early abstraction.