Artwork
Père
Père is an ink print by the Impressionist artist Félix Vallotton. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower right in stone in ligature: FV; upper left in stone: Theâtre de l'Oeuvre / Vendredi 14 Decembre / PERE / tragédie de 3 actes / de Aug. Strinberg...; lower right, below stone, signed in graphite: FVallotton / 401; verso, lower left, in graphite: APG 13075R
About this work
Overview
Created in 1894, Père is a lithographic print executed in a single green hue on high‑quality Japanese paper. The work belongs to a deluxe edition impression, indicating a limited, carefully produced series. It exemplifies the Swiss‑French artist Félix Vallotton’s engagement with printmaking during his involvement with the avant‑garde group Les Nabis.
Subject & Meaning
The image presents a domestic scene: a woman seated at a desk, absorbed in reading or writing, while a child lies nearby on the floor. Around the figures, typographic elements list details of a theatrical production titled Père by August Strindberg, suggesting the print functioned as a promotional poster that merges narrative illustration with textual information.
Technique & Style
Vallotton employed a lithographic process that allowed flat, uniform areas of color, here limited to a muted green, to dominate the composition. The hand‑drawn, sketch‑like lines and uneven lettering convey a spontaneous, almost graphic quality, aligning with his broader reputation for simplified, unemotional realism and for pioneering modern woodcut aesthetics.
History & Provenance
The print was produced to announce the French premiere of Strindberg’s three‑act drama Père. Its deluxe edition status points to a small, possibly collector‑oriented release rather than mass distribution. Over time, the work has been cited as a key example of Vallotton’s print output in the 1890s, a period when his reputation expanded internationally.
Context
During the 1890s Vallotton, alongside other Nabis members, explored the intersection of fine art and commercial design.
During the 1890s Vallotton, alongside other Nabis members, explored the intersection of fine art and commercial design. Père reflects this crossover, using the visual language of poster art to serve a theatrical purpose while retaining the artist’s characteristic flat color fields and restrained emotional tone, situating the work within both the Symbolist theater scene and the evolving modern print tradition.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Félix Édouard Vallotton (French: ; December 28, 1865 – December 29, 1925) was a Swiss and French painter and printmaker associated with the group of artists known as Les Nabis.
