“The Lie,” created by Felix Vallotton in 1898, is an oil painting executed in the style of Cloisonnism. This genre painting, measuring 24 by 33.4 cm, is housed in the Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
The artwork portrays an intimate and somewhat dramatic scene, featuring two figures engaged in a close embrace. The man, dressed in dark attire, appears to lean towards a woman in a red dress, her posture suggesting an intimate whisper or a tender moment. The background is composed of vertically striped golden-yellow wallpaper, which contrasts with the deep red of the couch and tablecloth, creating a rich and vivid color scheme. A vase of dark flowers positioned on the right adds to the composition, lending an additional element of sophistication and complexity to the overall scene. The painting’s use of bold outlines and areas of flat color, characteristic of the Cloisonnism movement, is evident in the strong contrast between the figures and the vibrant background.
