Félix Vallotton

Félix Vallotton was a Swiss-French painter and printmaker with a cool, precise style all his own. Born in Lausanne in 1865, he made his early name with striking black-and-white woodcuts that reduced scenes to flat shapes and sharp contrasts, a look that influenced graphic design for decades. He was loosely tied to the Nabis, a group of French artists interested in bold pattern and mood.

His paintings can feel oddly still and tense, with smooth surfaces, strange lighting, and a hint of unease under everyday domestic scenes. Interiors, nudes, and landscapes all take on a slightly frozen, watchful quality in his hands. Overlooked for much of the twentieth century, Vallotton has drawn fresh attention for the quiet strangeness that runs through his work.