Eugène Villon (1879 – 1951), The Lacemaker, Circa 1927

Watercolour and gouache on paper. Signed lower right. 49 × 63 cm. Circa 1927.

Born in The Hague and later settled in France, Eugène Villon established himself as a master of watercolour, a keen observer of quiet interiors bathed in light. Heir to the Dutch tradition in the precision of his gaze, he combined this legacy with a naturalism imbued with gentleness and poetry. A traveller from an early age, he remained open to modern currents while staying faithful to the motif and the truth of everyday life.

In the calm of a modest room, a lacemaker dressed in black—recalling traditional Bressan attire—works near a window. Bent over her work, she stands out against a muted background where the simplicity of the furniture creates an atmosphere of humility and contemplation. The close framing, at eye level, draws the viewer into the silent intimacy of the workshop.
Executed with confident precision, the watercolour blends light washes with delicate highlights. Villon employs a restrained palette—pearl greys, browns, and softened blues—revived by a few warm touches. Light, the true subject of the painting, shapes the forms, reveals the textures, and creates a gentle backlight where rigour and tenderness meet.
Through this harmony of clarity, stillness, and gesture, Villon extends the spirit of the 17th-century Dutch masters, reinventing their domestic serenity within the modern transparency of watercolour.

Eugène Villon exhibited from 1907 at the Salon des Artistes Français, where he received several awards. A member of the Société des Orientalistes Français, he founded in 1934 the Société des Aquarellistes Lyonnais and was made Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur in 1937.