Even a hundred years after his death, the art of Félix Vallotton (1865-1925) has lost none of its power and modernity. Draughtsman, printmaker and painter by turns, he spent his career observing – brush poised like a scalpel – the shifting contours of society – notably the fraught dynamics between men and women.
His artwork, haunted by the female figure – to which he devoted more than 500 paintings – anticipates the emancipation of women in the 20th century, while also mapping the neuroses and contradictions of the man itself: a product of Switzerland’s Protestant bourgeoisie who became, for a time, an anarchist and a rebel, no stranger to bohemian life and grinding poverty.
Drawing on unprecedented access to his works and archives, and guided by curators, art historians and contemporary artists, the documentary weaves in dramatic reconstructions to explore the emotional world and enduring mystery of an enigmatic artist.
Direction: Philippe Picard & Jérôme Lambert
Production: Un Film à la Patte & Actua Films for ARTE G.E.I.E., RTS & TV5 Monde