Good Children 1894

Édouard Vuillard made this small painting called "Good Children" with oil on cardboard, but we don’t know exactly when. Vuillard was part of a group of artists called the Nabis, who were interested in the decorative arts and how paintings could be part of everyday life. This image shows a woman and children in what looks like a park. In late 19th-century France, parks were increasingly important public spaces where different social classes could mix, but social etiquette dictated how people should behave in these places. Vuillard often painted domestic scenes, and here he seems to be showing us a glimpse of middle-class family life. Yet, there's an ambiguity to the image: are the figures posed or caught in a candid moment? To understand this painting better, we might look at other images of Parisian parks and gardens from this time, as well as advice manuals on child-rearing and social behavior. Ultimately, the meaning of "Good Children" depends on our understanding of the social and cultural context in which it was made.