Artwork
Les Chanteurs (The Singers)
Les Chanteurs (The Singers) is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Félix Vallotton. It dates from 1893 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1893, *Les Chanteurs* is a lithograph executed on yellow wove paper by Félix Vallotton, a Swiss‑French artist linked to the post‑Impressionist group Les Nabis. The work presents a bustling street tableau in which a small ensemble of singers engages a surrounding crowd, rendered in the flat, graphic manner characteristic of Vallant’s printmaking.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a vocalist clutching a sheet of paper, likely music, while a cluster of onlookers—dressed in dark garments—gathers around him. Instruments and other singers appear among the crowd, suggesting a spontaneous public performance that captures a moment of communal entertainment in an urban setting.
Technique & Style
Vallotton employs the lithographic process on zinc, exploiting the medium’s capacity for crisp outlines and uniform color fields. The image relies on strong, unmodulated lines and stark contrasts between the warm yellow background and the darker figures, reflecting the Nabis’ interest in simplified forms and decorative flatness.
History & Provenance
Produced during Vallotton’s most active period with Les Nabis in the early 1890s, the print exemplifies his shift toward modern woodcut and lithographic techniques. It entered public collections through early 20th‑century acquisitions, though specific ownership details remain limited in the record.
Context
At the time of its creation, French art was moving away from naturalistic representation toward abstraction of shape and color. Vallotton’s work aligns with this trend, integrating the Nabis’ emphasis on decorative patterning while retaining a detached, observational tone that distinguishes his prints from more sentimental genre scenes.
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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.
