Stevens' portrait of Vidal; provided by wallacestevensbiography.com
Anatole Vidal is mentioned only once by Stevens', in the poem "The Latest Freed Man."
- "The blue of the rug, the portrait of Vidal" (33)
Who was Anatole Vidale[]
Vidal was a Parisian book dealer who filled Stevens' orders for books and paintings, and with whom Stevens' had a casual friendship (Cook 9). Apparently, Stevens' commissioned a portrait of Vidal which he hung in his bedroom (Cook 140).
What is Vidal Doing in this Poem?[]
The primary theme of "The Latest Freed Man' is the attempt to throw off the yoke of convention which blocks us from seeing the world afresh. The poem concludes with a catalogue of ordinary objects, the portrait of Vidal being one, which now, for the Freed Man, strike the senses with unique force: "everything bulging, blazing and big in itself" (32).