Artwork
Landscape in the Jura Mountains near Romanel
Landscape in the Jura Mountains near Romanel is an unspecified painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Félix Vallotton. It dates from 1900 and is held in the collection of the Städel Museum.
About this work
Overview
Félix Vallotton’s 1900 oil painting, Landscape in the Jura Mountains near Romanel, presents a quiet Alpine scene. The canvas captures the rolling terrain of the Jura range as seen from the vicinity of Romanel‑sur‑Lausanne, rendered in a cool palette that emphasizes distance and atmosphere. The work is part of the permanent collection of the Städel Museum in Frankfurt.
Subject & Meaning
The composition focuses on a broad vista of hills and distant peaks, punctuated by a modest foreground of trees and shrubbery. By limiting human presence, Vallotton invites contemplation of the natural landscape itself, suggesting a harmonious relationship between land and sky that conveys a sense of repose.
Technique & Style
Vallotton employs confident, broad brushstrokes that give the surface a tactile quality, while layering varied shades of blue, interspersed with touches of green and yellow to model form and light. The handling of color and brushwork reflects his turn toward a more expressive, almost decorative approach within the late‑19th‑century French tradition.
History & Provenance
Executed at the turn of the century, the painting entered the Städel Museum’s holdings during the early 20th century, though precise acquisition details remain sparse. Its presence in the museum’s collection underscores the institution’s interest in French modernism and in works that bridge realism and emerging abstraction.
Context
Created during a period when Vallotton was exploring rural subjects beyond his earlier urban scenes, the work aligns with contemporary interests in plein‑air painting and the depiction of the French‑Swiss borderland. The Jura Mountains, a frequent motif for artists of the era, offered a landscape that combined ruggedness with pastoral calm.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Félix Édouard Vallotton (French: ; December 28, 1865 – December 29, 1925) was a Swiss and French painter and printmaker associated with the group of artists known as Les Nabis.
