Place Vintimille by Edouard Vuillard

Le Petit Cafe by Edouard Vuillard
Edouard Vuillard, Le Petit Café, decorative panel for the foyer of the Théâtre de Comédie (Théâtre des Champs-Elysées), 1912-1913, distemper on canvas, Société Immobilière du Théâtre des Champs-Elysées

Vuillard used a glue-based paint called distemper (peinture à la colle) for his large-scale decorations, and also for a large portion of his work made after the turn of the century. He had discovered distemper years before, while painting scenery backdrops for the theater. He liked its surface effect, and it was very economical. Because distemper was difficult to apply, it forced him to slow down his brushwork—he felt he was often too fast, too casual, with the brush.

To make distemper, Vuillard first soaked sheets of almost transparent brown glue for twelve hours in a double boiler filled with a large volume of water, until the glue dissolved. Next he mixed powdered colors with the hot glue, each color in a separate pot, and kept the pots warm to prevent thickening. He then applied the distemper. Once applied, it dried very quickly.