A Radical Painting that Kick-Started Modern Art

Why this lesser-known painting is one of the most influential of the last 150 years

The Talisman, also known as Landscape at the Bois d’Amour (1888) by Paul Sérusier. Oil on panel. 27 × 21.5 cm. Musée d’Orsay, Paris, France

Some artworks achieve their renown not only for what they depict but also for the effect they have on the story of art.

This painting is one such artwork. Known as The Talisman, it became an icon of Post-Impressionism of the late 1800s, a rallying cry for modern movements like Synthetism and Cloisonnism, and a beacon for the remarkable group of young French painters who called themselves Les Nabis (“The Prophets”).

Despite its modest size — just 27 cm tall — the radicalism of its flat colours and near-abstract appearance made it one of the very first paintings of modern art.

But what made this painting such a potent guiding light for avant-garde painters?