Femme nue devant une salamandre

Painted in 1900 in distemper on cardboard, this interior scene shows a nude woman seen from behind, seated on a blue shawl on the floor before a lit stove set into a decorative fireplace. The original French title, La Salamandre, refers to a popular stove brand of the period, which anchors the image in everyday domestic life. On the mantelpiece sit various objects and books; to the left a cupboard stands partly open, and in the lower right corner some garments lie scattered, probably the woman's own clothes. The mood is intimate and hushed, as if Vallotton had frozen a quiet household moment. The figure seems to lack lower limbs, a choice that has been linked to the Cycladic idols of Greece and that may have anticipated Man Ray's photograph Le Violon d'Ingres. The painting also has a life in popular culture: a copy of it plays an important role in Martin Suter's novel The Last Weynfeldt and in the 2010 film adaptation of the same title.

Painter

Félix Vallotton

Date

1900

Medium

distemper, cardboard

Dimensions

80 × 110 cm

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