The Conversation

The Conversation at the National Gallery of Art in Washington shows two figures in verbal exchange within a domestic interior, a subject Vuillard handled with consistent subtlety throughout his career. Unlike conventionally dramatic conversation pieces, his scenes give no access to what is being said; what matters is the spatial and tonal relationship between the speakers and their environment. The NGA's holding of this early Nabi work places it in one of the most visited art museums in the United States, where it can be seen in the context of a comprehensive French nineteenth-century collection. The Nabi principle that painting should be a flat surface covered with colours assembled in a certain order is evident in the compression of social exchange into pattern and tone.

Two figures in conversation require Vuillard to establish both their physical relationship and their spatial positions within the room. He typically achieves this through tonal variation that distinguishes near and far figure while allowing both to merge with the patterned environment around them.