In 1909 Vallotton rented a villa in Honfleur on the coast of Normandy as a summer residence. This marked the beginning of a new chapter in his painting; in the years that followed he turned his attention to landscape painting.

Vallotton didn’t paint in situ, and he didn’t use photographs as reference. He captured parts of the landscape in sketches and noted colour specifications. These were developed into composed landscapes in his studio.

Vallotton chose the edge of the wood above Honfleur on various occasions. The tall trees frame the view of the town. They are reminiscent of an archway: the sunlit meadow lies in front of them and behind them the muted green tones flow into the cool mauve of the coastline. The colours pale in the vast Normandy sky. Is the group of trees the threshold between two worlds? They endow the scene with an ominous atmosphere.

The picture portrays no details; the trees are compact stylised forms, and the curved line of shade in the foreground also displays this stylisation. In this Vallotton incorporated the style of Japanese woodcut design. How many of his Parisian painting friends had he impressed with this. Vallotton was not a painter of realistic landscapes; he designed the landscape according to his concept and gave it a deeper meaning. It became a coded picture in which he expressed his personal vision.