Laziness (La Paresse)

Vallotton started as a portrait painter, but became internationally renowned for his impressive black-and-white woodcuts. It is innovative work with an unparalleled style and atmosphere: the woodcuts simmer with an underlying tension or threat, whereas their humour is often infused with a great deal of social criticism. Vallotton was a master in observation, a moody, acerbic man who kept the world at bay, but who observed it sharply in all its cruelty and absurdity. His paintings present everyday life, at the same time imbuing it with an enigmatic strangeness. The detached presentation of his subjects sharply contrasts with the underlying emotions. What occurs between the figures, what smoulders under this smooth exterior, which emotions shimmer under this cool, detached style of painting?