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Monsieur Bute; L'Amant de sa femme; La Belle opération

Édouard Vuillard

1890

watercolor

paper

From the collection of National Gallery of Art

Impressionism Realism Late 19th Century

Dominant colour

Monsieur Bute; L'Amant de sa femme; La Belle opération is a 1890 watercolor by Édouard Vuillard, a Impressionism work, held at National Gallery of Art.

Who painted this?: Édouard Vuillard
When & what style?: 1890 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: National Gallery of Art

About this work

This print shows a simple scene: a man in a light coat stands awkwardly in front of a large, swirling blue shape that looks like a cloud or maybe a curtain. Behind him, a tree trunk and some bushes fill the background. The colors are soft—mostly pale blues, greens, and browns—with bold black lines outlining the edges. The artist used a stencil technique to paint this, which is why the colors look flat and the lines are so sharp. The title hints at a story, but the image itself stays vague—just shapes and a quiet moment. Next, check out Vuillard, Edouard to see how he played with color and everyday scenes.