Solness le constructeur

Art Historical Context

Édouard Vuillard's *Solness le constructeur* (1894) is a striking lithograph that captures the artist's early experimentation with printmaking during the height of fin-de-siècle Paris. As a key member of Les Nabis—a Post-Impressionist group influenced by Paul Gauguin—Vuillard blended symbolism, pattern, and emotional depth in his work. This piece, rendered in bold black ink on warm brown wove paper, likely draws from Henrik Ibsen's 1892 play *The Master Builder*, reflecting the era's fascination with psychological drama and modern theater. At 32.5 x 24.2 cm, its intimate scale invites close viewing, evoking the theatrical intensity of Solness, the ambitious architect haunted by his own creations. Lithography allowed Vuillard to explore graphic precision and tonal subtlety, distinct from his renowned colorful paintings of domestic interiors. The brown paper enhances the monochromatic drama, creating depth through line and shadow—a technique that bridged fine art and commercial posters, popular in 1890s France. This print exemplifies the Nabis' push against academic traditions, embracing decorative arts and everyday modernity. Today, housed in the National Gallery of Art's Prints department (gift of The Atlas Foundation), *Solness le constructeur* offers a window into Vuillard's versatility and the cultural crossroads of art and literature. Visitors will appreciate its nod to Ibsen's themes of ambition and downfall, rendered with the artist's signature intimacy.

About the Artist

Edouard Vuillard · 1868–1940

Jean-Édouard Vuillard was born on November 11, 1868, in Cuiseaux, Saône-et-Loire, France, to a retired naval captain father and seamstress mother, Marie Vuillard. After his father's early death in 1884, the family settled in Paris, where Vuillard attended the Lycée Condorcet, meeting future Nabis members like Ker-Xavier Roussel—later his brother-in-law—and Maurice Denis. He began formal training i...