The Luncheon

The Luncheon depicts the midday meal in a bourgeois dining room, one of the rituals of domestic French life that Vuillard documented across his career. The luncheon table — set with cloth, dishes, glasses, food — provided Vuillard with a concentrated still life embedded within a figure composition, allowing him to pursue simultaneously his interests in domestic object and human presence. Works like this belong to the tradition of Chardin's kitchen and dining scenes, which Vuillard studied and admired; he was often described by critics as Chardin's legitimate successor in the twentieth century.

The table functions as a horizontal stage across the lower half of the composition, its white cloth punctuated by the colours of tableware and food. Figures above are depicted in the muted, close-valued tones that characterise Vuillard's dining room light. The surface treatment throughout maintains his small, directional touch.