Félix Vallotton (1865–1925) is one of the most important figures of French modernism at the turn of the century. Over 150 works from all creative periods, genres, and techniques are shown at two venues, including numerous masterpieces, such as the iconic work La Blanche et la Noire.
The exhibition titled Illusions perdues (Lost Illusions), was inspired by one of the most famous works of nineteenth-century literature, the three-part novel by Honoré de Balzac (1799-185o) that was part of his Comédie humaine. Like Balzac, Vallotton’s art is a precisely observed and trenchantly observed portrayal of society.
It is initially manifested in his woodcuts and can be frequently observed later in his paintings. Moreover, Vallotton’s style makes him one of the proponents of Verism, which distances itself from the picturesqueness of Impressionism, very similar to the way Balzac, with his realism, contributed to the overcoming of Romanticism.
Félix Vallotton (1865–1925), La blanche et la noire, 1913, Kunst Museum Winterthur, Hahnloser/Jaeggli Stiftung
Illusions have always been a fundamental subject of painting. Vallotton’s Nabi friend Maurice Denis (1870-1943) expressed more adamantly than anyone else that this was noticeably lost in the age of modernism, writing:
“Remember that a painting—before it is a horse, a nude model, or some anecdote—is essentially a flat surface covered with colours assembled in a certain order.”
This remark, made in the late nineteenth century, illustrates that the loss of illusion definitively marks the beginning of modernism.
The exhibition can be seen at two locations of the Kunst Museum Winterthur. The part with paintings and drawings is on show at Reinhart am Stadtgarten, whereas the wood prints and flower still lifes are on show at Villa Flora.