Artwork
Landscape of the Ile-de-France
Landscape of the Ile-de-France is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Édouard Vuillard. It dates from 1894 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
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- Inscribed:lower left: E Vuillard
About this work
Technique & Style
As an oil painting on cardboard, the surface exhibits a smooth finish with fine brushwork that defines the surrounding foliage and modest topography.
The work titled Landscape of the Ile‑de‑France is executed in oil on a cardboard support, a medium noted in the artist’s catalog and confirmed by the National Gallery of Art records. It measures approximately 19.7 cm in height by 25.3 cm in width and was completed in 1894. The composition belongs to the landscape genre, emphasizing the subtle modulation of light and color typical of Vuillard’s early period.
As an oil painting on cardboard, the surface exhibits a smooth finish with fine brushwork that defines the surrounding foliage and modest topography.
History & Provenance
Landscape of the Ile-de-France, an oil on cardboard painting by Édouard Vuillard, was created in 1894 and measures 19.7 cm by 25.3 cm. The work remained in the artist’s family until it entered the New York market via dealer Sam Salz, who sold it in April 1959 to Paul Mellon; Mellon later donated the piece to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. in 1995. The painting is catalogued as a landscape and is part of the National Gallery’s collection.
The painting is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. It entered the collection in 1995 as a gift from Paul Mellon of Upperville, Virginia, who had acquired it in April 1959 from the New York dealer Sam Salz, who in turn had purchased it from the artist's family. No prior exhibition history is documented in the available sources.
Context
Edouard Vuillard completed Landscape of the Ile-de-France in 1894, an oil on cardboard measuring 19.7 × 25.3 cm that depicts a modest view of the French countryside near Paris. Classified as a landscape painting, the work exemplifies Vuillard’s late‑19th‑century exploration of regional scenery within his broader oeuvre of domestic and decorative subjects. The painting entered the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., through a 1959 purchase from Sam Salz and a 1995 gift from Paul Mellon, underscoring its acceptance in a major public collection.
Its inclusion in the museum’s holdings has facilitated scholarly attention to Vuillard’s landscape output as part of French Post‑Impressionist developments.
Overview
Édouard Vuillard's Landscape of the Ile-de-France, an oil on cardboard from approximately 1894, exemplifies his early period as a member of Les Nabis. This avant-garde group, active in the late 19th century, influenced his approach to art. The painting depicts a rural vista within the Île-de-France region, showcasing a decorative style that prioritizes the arrangement of color and form over strict realism.
Subject & Meaning
The artwork presents a serene rural vista, characterized by gently rolling green hills punctuated by areas of plowed earth in warm brown and yellow tones. A narrow path traverses the middle ground, leading towards a modest, red-roofed structure nestled in the distance. Overhead, a bright blue sky is adorned with soft white clouds, collectively rendering a characteristic scene from the Île-de-France countryside.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-Édouard Vuillard (French:; 11 November 1868 – 21 June 1940) was a French painter, decorative artist, and printmaker.
