Orchard

1897

Orchard, 1897. Edouard Vuillard (French, 1868–1940). Oil on board; unframed: 22.4 x 29.4 cm (8 13/16 x 11 9/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Nancy F. and Joseph P. Keithley Collection Gift 2020.120 The organic strokes that comprise Vuillard’s trees contrast with the linear divisions of agricultural land. The imagery is reminiscent of a passage written by the artist’s muse, Misia Natanson: “Solemn and dreamy, Vuillard led me along the river, past high silver birch trees. . . . He slowly moved through the yellowed grass. . . . Our silhouettes were just shadows against a pale sky.” Fellow artist Maurice Denis noted in his journal that Vuillard paid little attention to color theory. In this painting, Vuillard used several colors that are next to each other on the color wheel such as orange, yellow, and green rather than pairing complementary colors.