Artwork
The Wind
The Wind is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Félix Vallotton. It dates from 1910 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left: F.VALLOTTON.10
About this work
A dark tree twists against a gray sky, its branches bent sideways as if mid-gust. The leaves are quick blobs of green, and thick paint roughens the surface. Felix Vallotton conveys the wind without showing any motion. Oil on canvas, 1910.
History & Provenance
Provenance records trace earlier ownership to Galerie Bernheim‑Jeune in Lausanne (1915) and to Richard Bühler, then to Galerie Paul Vallotton (1939).
Félix Vallotton created The Wind in 1910 as an oil on canvas landscape. The painting's early provenance involves Galerie Bernheim-Jeune in Lausanne, before Richard Bühler of Winterthur, Switzerland, acquired it in 1915. In 1939, the work passed to Galerie Paul Vallotton, also in Lausanne.
On November 1, 1967, the gallery sold the painting to Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia. The Mellons subsequently gifted the artwork to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1985.
The painting The Wind (1910) by Félix Vallotton is presently in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Its most recent documented ownership transferred on 1 November 1967 when it was sold to Paul and Mrs. Paul Mellon, and it was subsequently gifted to the National Gallery of Art in 1985. The work entered the museum’s holdings without a publicly disclosed accession number. Provenance records trace earlier ownership to Galerie Bernheim‑Jeune in Lausanne (1915) and to Richard Bühler, then to Galerie Paul Vallotton (1939). Exhibition history is not detailed in the available sources.
Overview
Félix Vallotton, a Swiss-French artist associated with Les Nabis, completed The Wind in 1910. This oil-on-canvas painting exemplifies his landscape work, a significant aspect of his diverse output which also included portraits and nudes. The artwork captures a tree in a windy environment, rendered with a distinctive, often unemotional realism that characterized his approach to various subjects.
Subject & Meaning
The painting portrays a dark, gnarled tree silhouetted against a somber gray sky, its branches appearing to be forcefully pushed to one side by unseen currents. Vallotton's depiction conveys the essence of wind not through explicit movement, but by suggesting its powerful effect on the tree. The tree, though stationary, possesses a palpable vitality, embodying the force of nature through its contorted form.
Technique & Style
Vallotton employed a distinctive technique, using broad, rapid brushstrokes for elements like the green foliage, which appears as undifferentiated masses rather than detailed leaves. Certain areas feature impasto, contributing a tactile roughness and heightened sense of reality. This method aligns with his characteristic unemotional yet realistic style, which he applied across his painting and printmaking, including his influential contributions to modern woodcut.
Context
Created during the Post-Impressionist era, The Wind reflects Vallotton's engagement with landscape painting, a genre he explored alongside his fellow artists in Les Nabis. His work often sought a direct, unembellished representation of reality, distinguishing him within the broader movements of his time. This painting stands as an example of his unique contribution to early 20th-century art, bridging traditional realism with modernist sensibilities.
Own this work as a print
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.
