Woman in Front of the Fireplace 1915

Édouard Vuillard made this painting, Woman in Front of the Fireplace, and it feels like it was built up with layers of pastel, almost like he was feeling his way through the scene. The color palette is warm, a kind of ochre dreaminess, and you get the sense that making this was a process of discovery for Vuillard. Look at the way he's laid down the marks. They're not trying to trick you into thinking this is real life. It's all about the surface, the texture. Those thin purple lines towards the bottom of the painting are so evocative, like a shadow or a memory. You can almost feel the softness of the pastel, the way it catches the light. Vuillard wasn't trying to hide his process. It's all there on the surface, the push and pull of color and form. Vuillard reminds me of Bonnard, maybe it's the domestic subject matter, the way they both find poetry in the everyday. Ultimately, it's about letting go and trusting the process. There’s no right or wrong way, just different ways of seeing.