In Bed

Someone lies asleep here, buried under thick white bedding with only a face and a wisp of dark hair showing above the folds. Edouard Vuillard made this in 1891, when he belonged to a circle of young French painters known as the Nabis. They cared little about copying every detail of the world and much more about flat shapes, quiet colors, and the mood of a single moment. The bed in this picture turns into something almost like a landscape, all pale triangles and soft slopes, closer to a snowy hillside than a sleeping body.

A reddish letter "T" sits in the upper corner, a curious detail that gives the whole thing a graphic, poster-like feel. Vuillard stuck to a gentle range of grays, creams, and warm tans, which deepens the calm and sleepy atmosphere. Anyone who has ever wrapped themselves in blankets on a cold morning will recognize the comfort here. Without any drama or fuss, this small painting simply celebrates rest and the plain, easy peace of being safe and warm in bed.