Edouard Vuillard
(France 1868–1940)
- Title
- Madame Prosper Emile Weil at her desk
- Alternative title:
- Madame Prosper Emile Weil à son bureau
- Year
- circa 1923
- Media category
- Pastel
- Materials used
- pastel and distemper on paper mounted on board
- Dimensions
-
59.5 x 52.5cm board; 82.5 x 75.5 x 8.0cm frame
- Signature & date
- Signed l.r.corner, pastel "E Vuillard". Not dated.
- Credit
- Gift of Margaret Olley 1999
- Accession number
- 194.1999
- Copyright
- © Edouard Vuillard, c1923/ADAGP. Licensed by Viscopy, Sydney
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
Between 1920 and 1940, Vuillard painted over 40 portraits for which he did numerous sketches and studies. While many of these were of artists, writers, actresses and other eminent personalities of the period, others were commissioned portraits of the Parisian bourgeoisie. While the finished works of this period were often criticised for their detached pandering to the tastes of his subjects, the drawings and studies retained the artist's characteristic freedom of composition. Vuillard often stated "I don't paint portraits. I paint people in their homes."
'Madam Prosper Emile Weil at her desk' c.1923 is a very characteristic depiction of a woman as if spied on in the privacy of her study with its casual 'chopping' of furniture around the edges of the picture plain reminding us of the fact that Vuillard was also a keen amateur photographer.
- Bibliography (1)
-
Margaret Olley (Australia, b.1923, d.2011) (Author), Barry Humphries (Australia, b.1934) (Author), Deborah Hart (South Africa; United Kingdom; Australia, b.1959) (Director), Christine France (Australia) (Co-ordinator), Favourites: Margaret Olley and Barry Humphries choose from public and private collections, Sydney, 2000. Catalogue entry appears in inserted list to printed catalogue
- Exhibition history (1)
-
Favourites: Margaret Olley and Barry Humphries choose from Australian collections (2000), S.H. Ervin Gallery, 15 Jan 2000–27 Feb 2000.
