At the Theatre

This spare but finished drawing evocatively depicts a maid with a bib apron (suggested by the bleeding of the ink) pulling back a curtain. It has been identified as a study for Vuillard' s 1892 submission to the Livre d' Art, the illustrated periodical published by Paul Fort, founder of Theatre d' Art, the first forum for symbolist theater. Vuillard creates his image with a brilliant economy of means. A single line evokes the parted curtain-both a literal element of stagecraft and an emblem for theater itself. In addition, the line of the curtain cuts the page and calls attention to the flat surface of the drawing.