A woman pushes aside a deep golden yellow curtain that fills three-quarters of this nearly square painting. The curtain runs on a rod parallel and close to the top of the canvas, extends off the right edge, and falls behind a bed covered in the same color. The bed is cropped by the bottom and left edges of the painting, and a brown, arched wood footboard almost reaches the right side. The woman stands on the far side of the bed, facing away from us as she pulls at the curtain with her right hand. She wears a navy-blue dress and a brown braid falls down her back. She reveals an area covered in a pink, green, and white floral pattern that seems to match the size of the curtain, at least along the left edge where it is exposed. A round mirror hangs on the floral-patterned area above a red piece of furniture, perhaps a small table or stool. The wall around the patterned area and curtain is painted bone white. A line incised in the paint running from the top left corner of the floral area to the top edge of the canvas suggests a crack in the wall. The paint is loosely applied so brushstrokes are visible throughout, especially in the floral pattern. The artist’s signature is painted in red in the lower left corner: "E. Vuillard."

The Yellow Curtain

Edouard Vuillard

A woman pushes aside a deep golden yellow curtain that fills three-quarters of this nearly square painting. The curtain runs on a rod parallel and close to the top of the canvas, extends off the right edge, and falls behind a bed covered in the same color. The bed is cropped by the bottom and left edges of the painting, and a brown, arched wood footboard almost reaches the right side. The woman stands on the far side of the bed, facing away from us as she pulls at the curtain with her right hand. She wears a navy-blue dress and a brown braid falls down her back. She reveals an area covered in a pink, green, and white floral pattern that seems to match the size of the curtain, at least along the left edge where it is exposed. A round mirror hangs on the floral-patterned area above a red piece of furniture, perhaps a small table or stool. The wall around the patterned area and curtain is painted bone white. A line incised in the paint running from the top left corner of the floral area to the top edge of the canvas suggests a crack in the wall. The paint is loosely applied so brushstrokes are visible throughout, especially in the floral pattern. The artist’s signature is painted in red in the lower left corner: "E. Vuillard."

Colors in this work

Details
Artist
Edouard Vuillard
Date
c. 1893
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 34.7 x 38.7 cm (13 11/16 x 15 1/4 in.) framed: 52.7 x 58.4 x 7.3 cm (20 3/4 x 23 x 2 7/8 in.)
Department
CF
Holding institution
National Gallery of Art
Palette

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Image provider
national-gallery-of-art
License
CC0-1.0
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Collection

Art Genome Taxonomy

11 tags

Subject Matter

  • Interiors Both · 99%

    The image and catalog description show a furnished indoor setting with a curtain, bed, mirror, and other domestic furnishings.

  • Human Figure Both · 99%

    A single woman is visibly depicted standing within the room.

  • Figure from the Back (Rückenfigur) Both · 99%

    The woman is shown from behind, facing into the room as she pulls aside the curtain.

Visual Qualities

  • Patterns Both · 98%

    The exposed wall area has a prominent floral pattern, and repeated vertical curtain folds create additional visual repetition.

  • Asymmetrical Visual · 96%

    The large curtain dominates the right side, while the figure and patterned wall occupy the left, producing an uneven composition.

Medium and Techniques

  • Painting Metadata · 99%

    The National Gallery of Art classifies the work as a painting.

  • Oil Painting Metadata · 99%

    The catalog explicitly identifies the medium as oil on canvas.

  • Large Brushstrokes/Loose Brushwork Both · 98%

    Loose, visibly worked brushstrokes are especially evident in the curtain, dress, wall pattern, and surrounding surfaces.

Time Periods

  • Late 19th Century Art Metadata · 99%

    The work is dated c. 1893, placing it in the late nineteenth century.

Furniture and Lighting

  • Bed Both · 96%

    A bed with a golden covering and a brown arched footboard is visible along the lower portion and right edge of the composition.

  • Mirror Both · 98%

    A round mirror is clearly visible on the exposed patterned wall.

Source & rights

Edouard Vuillard. The Yellow Curtain. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.

High-resolution sources

Catalog record ↗ Image source ↗ Image license ↗ Image-use terms ↗ Catalog metadata terms ↗

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