Artwork
La Vie muette
La Vie muette is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Édouard Vuillard. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
La Vie muette is a 1894 lithograph by Édouard Vuillard, created in green-black on wove paper. It is a print that showcases the artist's experimental approach to visual representation.
Subject & Meaning
The print depicts a dimly lit, wooded scene with two figures, one seated and one standing. The image is accompanied by text listing the cast and crew of a play with the same title, La Vie muette.
Technique & Style
Vuillard's lithograph features rough, sketchy lines and smudges, characteristic of his decorative and flat, patterned style, influenced by Japanese prints and his association with the avant-garde group Les Nabis.
Context
La Vie muette reflects Vuillard's focus on interior and domestic scenes during this period, although this particular work presents an outdoor setting. The artist's involvement with Les Nabis, from 1891 to 1900, is evident in the print's emphasis on surface effects and pure color.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Édouard Vuillard (French: ; 11 November 1868 – 21 June 1940) was a French painter, decorative artist, and printmaker.
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La Vie muette