Glue-based distemper on card; 73 x 62 cm. Vuillard studied art from 1886 to 1888 at the Academie Julian and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1889 he joined a group of art students that included Maurice Denis, Pierre Bonnard, Paul Serusier, Ker-Xavier Roussel, and Felix Vallotton. They called themselves the Nabis (Hebrew for “Prophets”), and they drew their inspiration from the Synthetist paintings of Paul Gauguin’s Pont-Aven period. Like Gauguin, the Nabis advocated a symbolic, rather than a naturalistic, approach to color, and they usually applied their paint in ways that emphasized the flat surface of the canvas. Their admiration of Japanese woodcuts, which were then in vogue in Europe, inspired them to use simplified shapes and strong contours. Many of his works deal with domestic and dressmaking scenes set in his mother’s bourgeois home. In the paintings and prints of his Nabi period, he often created flattened space by filling his compositions with the contrasting rich patterns of wallpaper and women’s dresses. Because of their focus on intimate interior scenes, both Vuillard and Bonnard were also called Intimists. In addition to painting, Vuillard, like most of the other Nabis, was involved in book illustration, poster design, and designs for the theatre. In 1893 Vuillard helped found Aurelien Lugne-Poe’s Theatre de l’Oeuvre, which produced Symbolist plays. Vuillard designed stage sets and illustrated programs. In 1899 the Nabis exhibited together for the last time. That year Vuillard began to paint in a more naturalistic style. He also executed two series of masterful lithographs that reveal his great debt to Japanese woodcuts. Vuillard continued to receive numerous commissions to paint portraits and decorative works for private patrons as well as for public buildings. His public paintings included the decorations in the foyer of the Theatre des Champs-Elysees (1913) and murals in the Palais de Chaillot (1937) and in the League of Nations in Geneva (1939). Vuillard retained an Intimist sensibility for his entire career; even when painting portraits and landscapes, he instilled his compositions with a sense of quiet domesticity. In the early 20th century, when European art was influenced by the development of avant-garde styles such as Cubism and Futurism, many critics and artists viewed Vuillard as conservative. Paintings from his Nabi period received the most popular and critical approval, with critics often dismissing his later work. However, in the late 20th century, historians and critics began to devote more attention to Vuillard’s achievements as a decorative painter and designer.

Since there have been a lot of requests for a summer special on the Rhode Island collection, and I have been super insane in first life and in Second Life, I decided to do a special for Super Bargain Saturday! I love this set a lot, it is one of my favorites. There are a ton of texture change options, all in blacks, whites, and grays. It has a New England coastal feel, and reminds me of a happy month spent with friends in Newport, Rhode Island. Hence, the name. Rhode Island Reading Corner (transfer only) Rhode Island Chair (9 prims) - Texture change with 9 options; touch seat support and touch legs. - Select Access to determine who can change your textures. - Seats 1 with 12 sits; touch seat for menu - Say /1a to adjust sits. Captain's Wheel (2 prims) - Texture change with 3 options; touch wheel - Select Access to determine who can change your textures. Rhode Island End Table (2 prims) - Texture change with 3 options; touch table - Select Access to determine who can change your textures. Rhode Island Lamp I (4 prims) - Touch shade on/off - Texture change with 9 options; touch base - Select Access to determine who can change your textures. Rowboat Miniature (4 prims) - Decorative: just rez and enjoy!