The Wind

A gust of wind rushes through this 1910 painting by Félix Vallotton, bending a row of trees so far they seem ready to snap. Their trunks curve, their leafy tops stream sideways, and the grasses below bow in the same direction. Above it all hangs a flat, colorless sky, giving the whole scene a moody, overcast feel. No people appear here, no story unfolds, only nature pushed around by a force we can sense but never quite see.

Vallotton belonged to the Nabis, a circle of artists drawn to flat shapes, clean outlines, and simple forms, and those qualities show up clearly in the smooth, almost paper-cut look of the foliage. Rather than painting outdoors, he tended to work from memory, which lends his landscapes a calm, carefully arranged quality. Some viewers find his nature scenes rather chilly or motionless, yet that quiet is what gives this one its odd power. He managed to trap a moving thing, the wind, and hold it perfectly still on the canvas.