Lecture - FELIX VALLOTTON

In 1893, he joined the Nabis group, which championed Symbolist and decorative art. He was particularly active in woodcut printing, revitalizing this traditional technique to address modern subjects. His woodcuts, published in newspapers and books, earned him a strong reputation as an artist, and he became the official illustrator for *La Revue blanche*, a magazine with anarchist leanings that championed the avant-garde. During his time with the Nabis, his art was characterized by biting humor, critical irony, an interest in theater and romantic relationships—particularly evident in his interior scenes—and his anarchist activism. After the “Nabie” years came to an end, Vallotton explored the various genres of classical painting: portraits, nudes, landscapes, still lifes, and a reinterpretation of history painting. He painted in formats that were at times monumental and engaged in a dialogue with artists he particularly admired, such as Holbein, Ingres, Manet, and Poussin.
Lecture presented by Leîla Jarbouai, chief curator of paintings at the Musée d’Orsay.