GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Vuillard made many sketches during his beach vacation in July 1908, two of which are closely related to The Tent (1985.R.83). He, along with Pierre Bonnard and many other friends, enjoyed leisurely afternoon meals and social gatherings seated around a striped garden tent. The artist's friends described Vuillard as an obsessive draftsman, who was virtually always present with a small sketchpad and pencil, and made thousands of sketches throughout his life. Many of these survive, and most of the ones from the early years of the 20th century are closely related to these sheets in technique and purpose. The artist drew sheets of this sort, called "croquis" in French, with a burst of energy while staring fixedly at his motif. The aim of the "croquis" was not to look at the drawing, but the create, using a few simple gestures, an instant diagram of a particular scene that might become the scaffolding for a subsequent work of art. As such, "croquis" can be preparatory, and they constitute and intensive form of visual research. Vuillard himself probably employed them in concert with his photographs as an aide-mémoire when constructing his larger works.
Adapted from
Richard Brettell, "Impressionist Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture from the Wendy and Emery Reves Collection," (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art, 1995), 138-139.
NOTES
For both The Tent and its sketches (1985.R.83 and 1985.R.84) the date of creation of summer 1908 conflicts with the supposed first exhibition of the completed work in February 1908. This discrepancy appears in numerous documents in the object file for 1985.R.83 and remains unresolved as of April 2015. (Emily Schiller, Digital Collections Content Coordinator)
FUN FACTS- source- (Excerpt from, Richard Brettell, "Vuillard's La Place Vintimille," in Mind's Eye: Masterworks on Paper from David to Cézanne, eds. Olivier Meslay and William B. Jordan (Dallas Museum of Art; New Haven, NJ: Yale University Press, 2014) 182.
Had to cut this image asset possibility due to time constraints:
Photographs probably dating from 28 July 1908 by both Vuillard (who was a gifted and passionate photographer) and Alfred Natanson documents an afternoon visit to Ker Panurge by other friends, including the writers Romain Coolus and Tristan Bernard, and Bernard's wife, Marcelle Aron. Many of these photographs are sited in and around a striped garden tent set up to protect the weekend party from the wind and sun of the Brittany coast.
1908: Edouard Vuillard [1]
1908-1919: Bernheim-Jeune (gallery), Paris, on consignment from the artist starting September 28, 1908 [2]
1919- d. 1940: Edouard Vuillard (1868-1940) [3]
1940- Before 1948: Lefranc Gallery, Paris [4]
Before 1948- 1985: Wendy (1916-2007) and Emery Reves (1904-1981), Villa La Pausa, Roquebrune, France [5]
From 1985: Dallas Museum of Art, gift from the above
Notes: The main source for this provenance is Juliet Bareau c/o Antoine Salomon, correspondence 8 July 1985, Collections Records Object File for Vuillard's "The Tent" (1985.R.83) under the belief that these two objects have remained together throughout their ownership histories.
[1] The artist and Alfred Natanson both took photographs during a group vacation in the resort town of Penchâteau. The photos are likely dated 28 July 1908 and the painting is presumed to have been completed shortly after.
[2] This is the date Bernheim-Jeune (art dealers) purchased the painting from Vuillard. It was bought for 350 francs. It was number 16762.
[3] The artist took the picture back in exchange for another work. The painting remained in Vuillard’s collection until his death in 1940. The painting probably passed onto Vuillard’s heirs, the Roussel and Salomon families. Juliet Bareau wrote that it was probably sold although when or under what specific circumstances remains unclear.
[4] Mathias Chivot provided this information.
[5] Juliet Bareau (Antoine Salomon’s assistant) believed that the Reves’ must have acquired the picture before 1948 because that is when they put the painting “on deposit” with the gallery M. Benezit.
Adjusted rule to reflect accurate object numbers, CLC, 12/18/19.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Depicted- Le Pouliguen
Depicted- Le Baule
Process/materials
pencil
Historical periods
Individuals
Pierre Bonnard
Subject terms
beach
vacation
garden
tent
preliminary sketch
RELATED OBJECTS
Vuillard, The Tent, 1908. 1985.R.83
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
Belinda Thomson, "Edouard Vuillard: Exploring the Limits of Intimism," lecture April 1, 2010, Dallas Museum of Art. Transcribed. (Lecture was one of two delivered on the same evening. Dr. Thomson gave her presentation first.)
13315520: UMO
Object number entered in Piction. Deleting UMO tag from this object note.
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
- The figures shown in The Tent are thought to be Vuillard's dealer Joseph Hessel and his wife, Lucie Hessel, along with the novelist and playwright, Tristan Bernard and his future wife, Marcelle Aron.
- Many friends of the artist recall that he was an obsessive draftsman who virtually always carried a small sketchpad and pencil, making thousands of sketches throughout his life. The vast catalogue raisonné of his work by Guy Cogeval is dominated by works on paper and board, but omits, except for comparative purposes, the thousands of croquis, or rapid pencil sketches, that Vuillard made multiple times per day. There is no doubt that if these were gathered, they would be the largest body of graphic representations of daily life in the history of art.
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
set operator as OR
Apply to objects where number equals 1985.R.84.1
Apply to objects where number equals 1985.R.84.2
Category
rules_operator
OR
General Description
Vuillard made many sketches during his beach vacation in July 1908, two of which are closely related to The Tent (1985.R.83). He, along with Pierre Bonnard and many other friends, enjoyed leisurely afternoon meals and social gatherings seated around a striped garden tent. The artist's friends described Vuillard as an obsessive draftsman, who was virtually always present with a small sketchpad and pencil, and made thousands of sketches throughout his life. Many of these survive, and most of the ones from the early years of the 20th century are closely related to these sheets in technique and purpose. The artist drew sheets of this sort, called "croquis" in French, with a burst of energy while staring fixedly at his motif. The aim of the "croquis" was not to look at the drawing, but the create, using a few simple gestures, an instant diagram of a particular scene that might become the scaffolding for a subsequent work of art. As such, "croquis" can be preparatory, and they constitute and intensive form of visual research. Vuillard himself probably employed them in concert with his photographs as an aide-mémoire when constructing his larger works.
Adapted from
Richard Brettell, "Impressionist Paintings, Drawings, and Sculpture from the Wendy and Emery Reves Collection," (Dallas, TX: Dallas Museum of Art, 1995), 138-139.
Fun Facts
- The figures shown in The Tent are thought to be Vuillard's dealer Joseph Hessel and his wife, Lucie Hessel, along with the novelist and playwright, Tristan Bernard and his future wife, Marcelle Aron.
- Many friends of the artist recall that he was an obsessive draftsman who virtually always carried a small sketchpad and pencil, making thousands of sketches throughout his life. The vast catalogue raisonné of his work by Guy Cogeval is dominated by works on paper and board, but omits, except for comparative purposes, the thousands of croquis, or rapid pencil sketches, that Vuillard made multiple times per day. There is no doubt that if these were gathered, they would be the largest body of graphic representations of daily life in the history of art.
Archival Resources
Web Resources
Notes
For both The Tent and its sketches (1985.R.83 and 1985.R.84) the date of creation of summer 1908 conflicts with the supposed first exhibition of the completed work in February 1908. This discrepancy appears in numerous documents in the object file for 1985.R.83 and remains unresolved as of April 2015. (Emily Schiller, Digital Collections Content Coordinator)
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1985.R.84.1
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1985.R.84.2
source file
object_notes_1_a-0118.xml.nores