Felix Vallotton ( * 1865 † 1925 )
Artist Felix Vallotton
Experience the clear language of form from Félix Vallotton – the master navigating between Symbolism, Realism, and Modernism! With a keen eye, graphic precision, and subtle irony, he crafted captivating everyday scenes and intimate portraits. Discover his signature works as a premium art print, a stylishly framed canvas, or an artfully hand-painted oil painting in your desired size!
Félix Edouard Vallotton was born on December 28, 1865, in Lausanne to a conservative bourgeois family. He was a Swiss-French painter and graphic artist. He gained fame for his woodcuts with stark black-and-white contrasts.
Vallotton completed a classical education. At the age of 17, he aspired to study art history, which led him to move to Paris. He became a student at the Académie under Jules Joseph Lefebvre and Gustave Boulanger. Vallotton also learned lithography, graphic design, and other printing techniques. At the Académie, he met graphic artist Charles Maurin, who introduced him to the art of woodcutting.
In 1885, he participated in an exhibition at the Salon of the "Societe des Artistes Français," where he gained his first recognition with the oil painting "Portrait of Monsieur Ursenbach." At that time, he was inspired by the academic style and primarily painted portraits.
In 1891, he created his first woodcut. These innovative prints were very well received. To this day, Félix Vallotton is regarded as one of the most important artists in the development and revival of the traditional woodcut. He introduced a new perspective and modern approach to this style. The artist was influenced by Ukiyo-e prints (Japanese woodcuts). He emphasized outlines, strong lines, and flat patterns. His figures were plastic and illustrative. He depicted streets and domestic scenes, demonstrations, and bathing women. The features that made his woodcut objects so distinctive were humorous and not very emotional scenes, often with socially critical motifs or private moments. A well-known series of his woodcuts, "Intimités," depicts interiors and tensions between men and women. This series was published in "La Revue Blanche" (a literary-artistic magazine in Paris) in 1898 and had a significant influence on graphic art. His reputation spread throughout Europe and even reached the USA.
In 1892, he became a member of "Les Nabis," a young and rebellious group of artists. Among the members were Mogens Ballin, Pierre Bonnard, Ker-Xavier Roussel, Maurice Denis, and Édouard Vuillard. Vallotton also found lifelong friends here. That year, he also exhibited for the first time in Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
At the age of 30, Félix Vallotton married Gabrielle Bernheim, née Rodrigues-Henriques, and a year later, he obtained French citizenship. He now belonged to the Parisian bourgeoisie and devoted himself entirely to painting. He had a preference for landscapes and the sea of Normandy. His favorite subject was sunsets. One of his best-known works on this theme is "View of Trouville." He harmonized form and color, skillfully simplified details, and worked abstractly and boldly. Vallotton found the source of his inspiration in the avant-garde. Numerous still lifes, portraits, and nudes appeared: "The Bath," "Summer Evening," "Moonlight."
Vallotton's oeuvre includes many woodcuts, drawings, paintings, sculptures, plays, essays, and even three novels. One day after his 60th birthday, Vallotton died on December 29, 1925, in Paris. In 2013, the documentary "Félix Vallotton, with a Cool Brushstroke" (OT: "Félix Vallotton, la vie à distance") by Juliette Cazanave was released as an arte production.
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All images by Felix Vallotton
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