The Red Room, Etretat 1899

What do you think about this painting? This is ‘The Red Room, Etretat’ (1899) by the Swiss artist Félix Edouard Vallotton (1865-1925). It depicts the artist’s wife, Madame Vallotton, sitting on a red chair next to a patterned fireplace. She gazes down at her niece, Germaine Aghion. This piece is striking for its sense of colour and flatness. The painting is dominated by the rich jewel tones of scarlet and ruby red. The dark red creates an intense atmosphere due to its boldness. Red is traditionally associated with danger – definitely not a colour we’d usually connect with a comfortable domestic scene. Yet Madame Vallotton seems calm and at ease. It’s slightly mysterious, right? Félix Edouard Vallotton belonged to a collective of French artists referred to as ‘Les Nabis’. This Hebrew word actually means ‘prophets’! The Nabis were a group of post-Impressionists who prioritised the use of bold, flat colours to symbolise emotion. Their work can be seen as a bridge between Impressionism and the subjectivity of abstract painting. The focus is on the emotion rather than what is actually shown; according to the Nabis, art is a metaphor rather than a depiction. In the foreground of this painting, the young girl rips up a piece of paper. Why has Vallotton included this detail? There’s also an extinguished candle on the right side of the canvas. What could it symbolise?