Women Meeting in the Shadec. 1890 · Study 2022.434

Context from the museum

Roussel was a founding member of the French avant-garde group known as the Nabis (prophets) and the brother-in-law of fellow member Édouard Vuillard. Roussel shared their fascination with Japanese prints and developed a style of radically simplified forms and strong, decorative color. His intimate views of daily life convey a mood of quiet feeling rather than focusing on narrative, storytelling content. This painting depicts a group of figures, presumably two women and four children, meeting in the shade of tall trees, while other figures walk along the grassy riverbank.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

Known mostly for his small Nabis paintings of the 1890s, Roussel also produced large murals for the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées and the Palais de Chaillot in Paris, and the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Women Meeting in the Shade is 39.2 cm wide and 31.1 cm high, equivalent to approximately 15.4 × 12.2 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 1.26:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.12 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 13.1% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 130.4 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Women Meeting in the Shade in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, oil on canvas, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this horizontal composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 39.2 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?