For Édouard Vuillard, works on paper were not merely preparatory studies for larger works; they were at the very core of his artistic production. An astute observer of daily life, Vuillard drew constantly, using a wide variety of mediums including pencil, ink, watercolor, and pastel in order to depict the day to day world he inhabited.

While Vuillard’s passion for observation suggests that he was a kind of Realist, the art he produced was simultaneously very abstract. In depictions of interiors, Vuillard relegates the precisely observed details of domestic scenes into densely patterned compositions, so that glimpses of figures and objects become psychologically charged narratives. Landscapes likewise are observed, and recreated as abstract spatial arrangements of color and form, with Vuillard often flattening shapes to reflect the reality of the picture plane.

This selection of 28 works on paper, spanning the late 1880s through the 1930s, provides an invaluable window into Vuillard’s creative process, and reveals the spontaneous shorthand that is sometimes obscured in larger oil paintings. Pastels, in particular, offered Vuillard a unique technical bridge, combining the precision of drawing with rich, textured color.

Throughout all the works, Vuillard renders everyday scenes into a profound visual poetry that is unique and timeless.