Felix Wallotton: Fire under the ice

Fire under the ice ” - this was the name of the large exhibition of the French artist Felix Wallotton, held in Paris in October 2013 - January 2014.

The French consider Wallotton (Félix Vallotton, 1865–1925) an underestimated artist. Critics recall that in Switzerland any sketch is stored as a jewel: Wallotton was born in 1865 in Lausanne and until 1900 he remained a Swiss citizen, although since 1883 he lived in Paris.

The fact that we Wallotton know little is rather surprising.

Firstly, he was fantastically productive: it is hundreds of paintings and hundreds of graphic sheets. Secondly, Wallotton first gained wide fame as an engraver (mainly on wood) and an illustrator-in other words, his work is replicated , so that today they could decorate any album or book. Thirdly, Felix Wallotton paid tribute to different genres and wrote in different styles.

And of course, Wallotton's work is not realism ; However, take a look at his “self -portrait” written at the age of twenty: if this is not realism, then what is it? He himself wrote: “I dream of painting that does not copy nature ...” Here is his famous painting “Ball”: this is a very complex design. The girl was written from one point - from above. And two ladies in the distance - obviously from the other, moreover, from where exactly, remains a secret. And the movement, and the sun! ..

Wallotton, like his friends, Bonnar and Wuyar (see my essays in the Trav-hunger No. 159 and 160 [1–2] ), was part of the Nabi group: his nickname was Nabi - a foreigner . Wallotton's path as an artist was also connected with La magazine Revue Blanche . Actually, he first gained wide fame as a book and journal illustrator - most of all in the technique of xylography. It was xylography that brought Wallotton wide fame: back in 1892, the art critic Octave Yuzan called him the ancestor of the revived xylography . At the turn of the centuries, the engravings of Wallotton were printed by the best French and German publications.

What amazing in Wallotton is his possession of completely different styles. At the same time, no matter what the artist choose as nature, he refers to his material with love. We will also find a satire at Wallotton in the genre, designed for this, in drawings for newspapers and magazines. But actually he is a lyricist ... Friends of Wallotton did not note that this restrained and even dry Swiss was actually not only gentle, but also passionate. Look at the “Waltz”, this is the work of 1893 ... In 1899, Wallotton married Gabrielle Rodriguez-Enrixes (1863–1932), a widow with three children, sister of famous gallerys of the Bernhaim brothers; He left us several of her portraits. Wallotton was exhibited a lot in different countries, including in Russia. In 1913, he even visited Petersburg, where he had an order for a portrait, and Moscow, which impressed him; However, in his work, this trip, apparently, is not reflected in any way.

In 1914, Wallotton tried to join the army, but did not pass by age. But he wrote Verden.

In 1885, the artist began to keep his working diary, “Livre de Raison”, where he, with his characteristic methodology, brought everything he had done. According to this document, Wallotton created 1602 paintings and 237 engravings, published a number of articles on contemporary art and artistic criticism, wrote three novels and several theatrical plays.

He painted how he breathed: on the day when he was taken to an operation, from which he no longer recovered, the next picture begun remained on the easel.

1. The transformed world of Pierre Bonnara, http://trv -scieence

2. Eduar Vuyar: after impressionism, http://trv-science.ru/2014/29/ehduar-vyujjar-posle-impresionizma