Edouard Vuillard - Self-Portrait

Edouard Vuillard, Self-Portrait, 1892
(Private Collection)

The Nabis' art was a combination of Gauguin's Symbolism and Impressionism. Unlike Gauguin, they did not reject modern life, their subject matter like the croquet game was very much of the moment.  Edouard Vuillard painted a lot of intimate interior scenes involving his mother, sister and his mother's business which she ran out of their home.  He was obsessed with pattern.

Edouard Vuillard must have painted this colorful self-portrait from his imagination though. Obviously his hair was not bright yellow, face pink and beard bright orange.  His whole face has become a pattern, even the odd shape that covers half his face is just for effect.  The dots on the background are decorative elements he paints to give energy and an aura around his head.  He has even broken with the tradition of the canvas always being rectangular.

Vuillard was best known for his interior scenes where the objects and figures are embedded in their surroundings.