Study of a Woman in a Petticoat 1903

Editor: We’re looking at “Study of a Woman in a Petticoat” by Édouard Vuillard, painted around 1903. It's an oil painting that has such a wonderfully soft, almost dreamlike quality to it. What first strikes you about this piece? Curator: The petticoat itself functions as a powerful signifier. What did the woman wear prior and post to this undergarment? Think of the symbolic weight of adornment, undress, and transition between public and private. It signals a liminal space, a zone of transformation and vulnerability. What does it say to you? Editor: It makes me feel like I am intruding on a private moment, maybe right before she chooses her dress for the day. I also get a feeling that she is trapped by convention... Curator: Exactly! Look closely at how Vuillard uses the impasto technique. Thick strokes bring an immediacy to this interior genre-painting that captures modern anxiety surrounding ritual, domesticity, and gender. Can we infer that intimacy veils oppression, the oppression of being held inside when one desires freedom and recognition? Editor: That's fascinating; I never would have thought of it that way. I was just appreciating the texture and light. So much of my attention was going towards how Vuillard layered the paint... Curator: Remember to go beyond aesthetics. What is visually pleasing should never overshadow the work's depth and insight. Do you believe his choice to leave much undefined signifies ambiguity surrounding women's identities at the turn of the century? Editor: It seems I’ve only been looking at the surface! I'll remember to delve deeper and consider the social context. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure! Art is always communicating something, revealing historical perspectives, so it asks that you really observe.