The Ball

Félix Vallotton painted the striking scene in 1899, capturing a child chasing a red ball across a sun-drenched park. The bird's-eye view flattens the space, pushing the small running figure against broad stretches of ochre ground and deep green shadow. Two distant women in blue and white watch from the background, their tiny scale confusing the sense of depth.

Vallotton joined Les Nabis in 1892, though his cool, detached style earned him the nickname "the Foreign Nabi." This painting exemplifies his approach: flat color areas, hard edges, and simplified forms borrowed from Japanese prints. The Musée d'Orsay acquired it as a bequest from Carle Dreyfus in 1953.