The Linen
1909
19 5/8 x 25 1/2 in. (49.8 x 64.8 cm)
Pierre Bonnard
France
(Fontenay-aux-Roses, France, 1867 – 1947, Le Cannet, France)
Object Type:
Painting
Medium and Support:
Oil on paper laid down on board
Credit Line:
Gift of Marie C. and Joseph C. Wilson
Accession Number:
1991.36
Location: Currently on view
As an art student in Paris, Bonnard became affiliated with the Nabis, or Prophets. This group of young artists was influenced by Paul Gauguin's belief that a painting should be a product of the imagination rather than a mere copy of nature. Influenced also by Gauguin's style, the Nabis simplified form and used color boldly and expressively.
After the turn of the century, Bonnard refined these principles, developing a personal, decorative, and highly subjective style. As in this scene, his pictures of everyday life often featured his wife. Painting from memory in his studio, Bonnard freely modified form and heightened color to express the beauty he recalled in nature.
[Gallery label text, 1999]