The Red Room

The Red Room is an 1898 tempera on cardboard by the Swiss artist Félix Vallotton. He fills an interior almost entirely with shades of red: wallpaper, rug, curtains, tablecloth, armchairs and lampshades. A strong light from the right throws dense shadows that, together with the lavish atmosphere, heighten the sense of secrecy. In the background, a couple stands in an open doorway that leads into a dark room. The bearded man holds the woman's hand against his chest, while she, head bowed, seems detached from the moment. In the foreground, a crumpled handkerchief, black gloves and a small yellow bag on a round table suggest she has just arrived for a clandestine meeting. The work belongs to a series of six interiors with figures, linked to the woodcut series Intimacies, and its title may allude to Strindberg's novel of the same name, a sharp critique of bourgeois hypocrisy. A bust of the painter on the mantelpiece makes the picture a subtle self-portrait, and a partial reflection in the mirror shows Vuillard's Large Interior with Six Persons, which deals with family drama. Keiko Wada suggests the objects were probably taken from Vallotton's own home, though the room itself is imagined.

Painter

Félix Vallotton

Date

1898

Medium

tempera, cardboard

Dimensions

50 × 68 cm

Museum

Cantonal Museum of Fine Arts, Lausanne

Genre

genre art

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