The Sunny Room

The Sunny Room from 1920, at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, marks a moment in Vuillard's career when he had moved from the small-format intimist panels of his early years toward larger, more commissioned decorative schemes. The word 'sunny' in the title is informative — Vuillard's interiors of the 1890s were often evening or overcast spaces, but his later work became more interested in the specific quality of natural light flooding a room. Minneapolis's collection, assembled in a city with strong European cultural connections, acquired this work as part of its comprehensive representation of French Post-Impressionism.

The increased scale of this mature work allows Vuillard to develop light effects — specifically the warm yellow of direct sunlight entering the room — with more atmospheric gradation than the small early panels permitted. The handling remains painterly and richly textured.