27/08/2026
Édouard Vuillard was a member of the Nabis, alongside painters Maurice Denis, Pierre Bonnard, Félix Vallotton and Ker-Xavier Roussel. Persuaded to join the group by Maurice Denis, Vuillard and the other Nabis were inspired by Synthetism and rejected naturalism in favour of flattened forms, decorative colour and symbolic expression.
During this period, Vuillard predominantly painted intimate interior scenes, including his mother’s home, seamstresses at work and the homes of his friends.
His work became characterised by areas of flat colour, decorative patterns and simplified outlines. Inspired by the Japanese prints popular in Paris’s artistic circles, the patterned picture-plane became more important than traditional perspective.
On display now in Discovering the Impressionists, book now.
geelonggallery.org.au/discovering-the-impressionists
Images: Discovering the Impressionists, installation view, Geelong Gallery, 2026, Photographer: Andrew Curtis
