Femmes Et Enfant Au Clos Cézanne 1925

Édouard Vuillard probably made this painting, Femmes Et Enfant Au Clos Cézanne, in his studio, layering colours over colours, building the scene from a memory or a sketch. There's a real coziness here, don’t you think? The scene shows figures around a table in dappled sunshine, the colours are muted, like old velvet. Look at that yellow tablecloth – it's so solid, yet described with the loosest brushstrokes. I bet Vuillard was thinking about Bonnard when he made this – they were part of the same group of artists called the Nabis. It feels like Vuillard is interested in flattening the space and making it more decorative. There’s an intimacy to this kind of painting that really draws you in, inviting you to imagine yourself sitting at that table, soaking up the afternoon light. Paintings like this are an invitation to slow down and look at the world in a new way. They show us that painting isn't just about representation, but about feeling and thinking and seeing.