Suzanne Desprès 1907 - 1908

Édouard Vuillard painted this portrait of Suzanne Desprès with oil on cardboard, caressing the surface with strokes in muted browns and grays. I love the subtlety of this piece; it has a quiet intensity, don't you think? I imagine Vuillard working slowly, maybe he stepped back frequently to consider his work and squint at his subject, trying to capture her essence. The dark ring around her hat is particularly intriguing. It creates a focal point that draws your eye into her gaze. I am always thinking about ways to make lines perform. It's the core of painting. Vuillard is a master here. The tension between flatness and depth is palpable. The influence of artists like Manet is evident, but Vuillard brings his own intimate sensibility to the genre. Artists learn from one another across time, like an ongoing conversation where they share ideas and inspiration. Ultimately, painting is an act of embodied expression, and the best works embrace ambiguity, allowing for various readings. This one speaks to me on many levels.