Edouard Vuillard (French, 1868–1940), Remembrance of Romanel, near Lausanne (Souvenir de Romanel près Lausanne), 1900, oil on cardboard, 14 1/2 x 14 1/8 in. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, 83.61.
- Type: Art Audio File
- Collection: European Art
- Culture/Region: Europe
- Subject Area: Visual Arts
- Grade Level: 9-12, College, Adult
In the weeks preceding Edouard Vuillard’s stay in Romanel, he visited friends in L’Etang-la-Ville, a small town outside of Paris. There, he realized his growing appreciation for nature and its striking simplicity, and expressed it in a letter to his friend Swiss artist Félix Vallotton dated August 10, 1900:
I’m discovering some great things, marvelous spectacles, I really enjoy being in the country, I’m able to admire without being reminded of paintings. I’m astonished to see the sky, by turns blue, grey, green, and that the clouds come in all sorts of different shapes and colors, and that without bending over backwards to find subtleties there is much pleasure to be had from understanding things in simple terms.