Public Gardens

Public Gardens cycle comprises nine panels, commissioned in 1894 by Alexandre Natanson for his mansion on the Avenue du Bois (now Avenue Foch) in Paris. Natanson was the director of La Revue Blanche, a literary and art journal that published the work of the Nabis group to which Édouard Vuillard belonged. The entire decoration was installed in a large room used as a living and dining room. This evocation of children playing under the watchful eye of their nannies fitted in perfectly with the family world of the Natansons, who had three small girls.

The set was broken up in 1929, but five panels have been reunited at the Musée d'Orsay. They are displayed around the corner of the room, as originally planned. Each composition is separate and has its subtitle but they are all linked together by the continuity of space (earth and sky), light, and color (harmonies of beige, green, and blue enlivened by a few splashes of red). The exact location of the scenes is unclear, some panels suggesting the Tuileries Gardens, others the Bois de Boulogne near the Natanson home.

The open-air subject of a city park bears witness to the Impressionist heritage, particularly Monet's influence. The decorative aspect makes us think of medieval tapestries, which Vuillard admired at the Musée de Cluny. For the first time on this scale, the artist experimented with the effects of distemper, which gave a matte finish, similar to that of the frescoes painted by artists from Piero della Francesca to Puvis de Chavannes. He used this effect widely for his decorative works. Lastly, the influence of Japanese prints and screens can be seen in the arrangement of forms and voids, the decentering, and the lack of symmetry.

Have a calm Sunday, everyone!

P.S. Autumn is in full swing, but if you want to be prepared for 2024, check out our artsy 2024 DailyArt calendars!

P.P.S. Did you know three women in particular had a profound impact on Édouard Vuillard's art? All of them were immortalized in his unique portraits! Vuillard was a co-founder of the Nabis. Never heard of them? You can read about this intriguing group in the article below!