Discovering this show reinforced my own direction of focus and belief that museum curators saw the importance of such a subject. It made so much sense to see an exhibition with the theme of "mother," as it is a relationship that can connect us all. As an artist, you spend much of your time in your head honing ideas, and positive checks and balances can fuel trusting your own own intuition to believe, as an artist’s intuition is the primary element for creativity.
Vuillard's art earned him the title of "Intimist"; intimism is a French term applied to paintings and drawings of quiet domestic scenes. Although originally applied to the work of Pierre Bonnard and Edouard Vuillard, it has since been widely used to reference any painting of such subject matter.
Vulliard's paintings were very lovely and romantic in their painterly patterning and love of paint, exercising its beauty as a medium. What stretched beyond romantic was the artist's documentation of his mother as the ever-present person in the studio/sewing shop within the apartments they shared, until her death when the artist was in his sixties. Vulliard's representation of his mother was, to me, less sentimental in its capturing of her dutiful and constant efforts as she worked within their domestic situation. He honored her role and contributions so they would not go unnoticed, but would remain as quietly stalwart. He shined light on the banal things that allowed life and their existence, and by acknowledging this, credited simple acts as subjects worthy of painting to find greatness. To me, it works as a foil, keeping the more flowery painting and colors from becoming overly sentimental. It seemed to be a more unspoken love to depict. Having a subject matter where we can bring our own personal ideas to a painting is one of the reasons the topic of mothers is so core, interesting, and universal to view and interpret as one of life’s most complicated relationships
I have included these two photos side-by-side as part of the trip travelogue because I found them so funny. My partner, Barney, is really the perfect foil for my enthusiasm of attending an art show in Birmingham, England in the winter. I feel lucky to have such opportunities to chase museum shows with a friend, even if he waits outside.
I was very interested when I read about this Edouard Vuillard show at the Barber Institute in one of my favorite magazines, World of Interiors. The show, Maman, focused on the subject of the artist’s mother, who appeared in over 500 of his works. I was so pleased to…