GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Although Pierre Bonnard's work is often thought of as a late manifestation of impressionism, it has a distinctly modern edge. Bonnard commonly painted from memory or drawings rather than directly from the motif, thus allowing his free interpretations and associations to guide the colors and forms. The subjective mood that results is just as characteristic as his love of richly patterned composition.
Still life painting played a central role in Bonnard's late development. For pleasure and diversion from large-scale, ambitious figure and landscape paintings, the artist regularly made smaller pictures of flowers or fruit or tabletop settings. At times, these more "domestic" exercises also served as experimentations in color or structure. Almost always, they show him at his most intimate and direct. In Pitcher with Flowers, a typically lush bouquet sits in a vase well known from other still life paintings, except that here its handle is broken. Visible in areas through the thin skeins of paint is a loose underdrawing in pencil. Throughout, Bonnard's brushwork has a scurrying rhythm as it moves through and around the leaves and flowers, rarely slowing for a larger, smoother form. The space itself seems to be activated in bursts of brilliant light and color. It was partly by allowing the white of the canvas to reflect through the subject that Bonnard achieved so glowing an effect.
Adapted from
Dallas Museum of Art, The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection (Dallas, TX: 1985), 147.
NOTES
Complete citation for current text entry from Wendy and Emery Reves Collection, page 147.
Emailed BMac to complete the citation for Brettell essay currently in public notes. (This essay is not attached as the CC- Catalogue Essay, "Bonnard's 'Pitcher with Flowers.'")
I did not look at the wall labels used for this and other works in the Bouquets exhibition. In the future, perhaps the exhibition labels will be added to TMS.
This and other Reves works that are framed bring up the question of how to communicate the value and import of frames visually, historically, and as artistic creations themselves. For example, notes from this object's accession include comments on the frame-- Frame- 18th century Rococo style, meter and keyed construction, oak with brain molding.
Was this work in Bouquets exhibition? I attached the object number to two audio files in Piction where Heather MacDonald discusses Bonnard's floral still life paintings, but may not specifically deal with this work.
Bouquets- exhibition id 11878
Removed TMS tag because rule exists.
Provenance:
From 1935: Bernheim-Jeune and Co., Paris, purchased from the artist [1]
Late 1930s: P. Turner, England
n.d.: Sir Walter Fletcher, England
Until 1957: Paul Rosenberg & Co. (art dealer), New York
1957-1985: Wendy (1916-2007) and Emery Reves (1904-1918), Villa La Pausa, Roquebrune, France, purchased from the above, January 3, 1957
From 1985: Dallas Museum of Art, gift from the above
Notes:
The primary source for this provenance is J. Dauberville and H. Dauberville, Bonnard: Catalogue Raisonné de l’Oeuvre Peint, Vol. I, (Paris, 1965), 420.
[1] Bernheim-Jeune and Co. no. 8459.
Possible audio asset:
Dorothy Kosinski, "Transformation of the Still Life in Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, A Bouquet for Mrs. Reves," Reves lecture in conjunction with Impressionst from the Riviera: Masterpieces from the Wendy and Emery Reves Collection (November 5, 1995- February 4, 1996)," November 2, 1995; File name- StillLifeReves, audio casette, no transcript. Could not listed to lecture due to time constraints.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: Le Cannet (inhabited place/France): TGN: 7009270
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
flowers
still life
vase
domestic
vertical orientation
bouquet
interior space
pitcher
table
impressionism
underdrawing
brush strokes
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
- Heather MacDonald discusses Bonnard's flower paintings. 98432293: UMO
- object number added to Piction
- Heather MacDonald responds to a visitor's question regarding Bonnard's flower paintings. 98432438: UMO
- Object number added to Piction
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- Pierre Bonnard, Flowers on a Mantlepiece, 1913~Check out one of Bonnard's earlier depictions of this motif.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
- Pierre Bonnard included this pitcher in at least fifteen paintings.
- One of the ways scholars have estimated a date for Pitcher with Flowers is based on the container's broken handle. In earlier Bonnard paintings the vessel is shown intact.
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1985.R.3
Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
Although Pierre Bonnard's work is often thought of as a late manifestation of impressionism, it has a distinctly modern edge. Bonnard commonly painted from memory or drawings rather than directly from the motif, thus allowing his free interpretations and associations to guide the colors and forms. The subjective mood that results is just as characteristic as his love of richly patterned composition.
Still life painting played a central role in Bonnard's late development. For pleasure and diversion from large-scale, ambitious figure and landscape paintings, the artist regularly made smaller pictures of flowers or fruit or tabletop settings. At times, these more "domestic" exercises also served as experimentations in color or structure. Almost always, they show him at his most intimate and direct. In Pitcher with Flowers, a typically lush bouquet sits in a vase well known from other still life paintings, except that here its handle is broken. Visible in areas through the thin skeins of paint is a loose underdrawing in pencil. Throughout, Bonnard's brushwork has a scurrying rhythm as it moves through and around the leaves and flowers, rarely slowing for a larger, smoother form. The space itself seems to be activated in bursts of brilliant light and color. It was partly by allowing the white of the canvas to reflect through the subject that Bonnard achieved so glowing an effect.
Adapted from
Dallas Museum of Art, The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection (Dallas, TX: 1985), 147.
Fun Facts
- Pierre Bonnard included this pitcher in at least fifteen paintings.
- One of the ways scholars have estimated a date for Pitcher with Flowers is based on the container's broken handle. In earlier Bonnard paintings the vessel is shown intact.
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- Pierre Bonnard, Flowers on a Mantlepiece, 1913~Check out one of Bonnard's earlier depictions of this motif.
Notes
Complete citation for current text entry from Wendy and Emery Reves Collection, page 147.
Emailed BMac to complete the citation for Brettell essay currently in public notes. (This essay is not attached as the CC- Catalogue Essay, "Bonnard's 'Pitcher with Flowers.'")
I did not look at the wall labels used for this and other works in the Bouquets exhibition. In the future, perhaps the exhibition labels will be added to TMS.
This and other Reves works that are framed bring up the question of how to communicate the value and import of frames visually, historically, and as artistic creations themselves. For example, notes from this object's accession include comments on the frame-- Frame- 18th century Rococo style, meter and keyed construction, oak with brain molding.
Was this work in Bouquets exhibition? I attached the object number to two audio files in Piction where Heather MacDonald discusses Bonnard's floral still life paintings, but may not specifically deal with this work.
Bouquets- exhibition id 11878
Removed TMS tag because rule exists.
Provenance:
From 1935: Bernheim-Jeune and Co., Paris, purchased from the artist [1]
Late 1930s: P. Turner, England
n.d.: Sir Walter Fletcher, England
Until 1957: Paul Rosenberg & Co. (art dealer), New York
1957-1985: Wendy (1916-2007) and Emery Reves (1904-1918), Villa La Pausa, Roquebrune, France, purchased from the above, January 3, 1957
From 1985: Dallas Museum of Art, gift from the above
Notes:
The primary source for this provenance is J. Dauberville and H. Dauberville, Bonnard: Catalogue Raisonné de l’Oeuvre Peint, Vol. I, (Paris, 1965), 420.
[1] Bernheim-Jeune and Co. no. 8459.
Possible audio asset:
Dorothy Kosinski, "Transformation of the Still Life in Impressionism and Post-Impressionism, A Bouquet for Mrs. Reves," Reves lecture in conjunction with Impressionst from the Riviera: Masterpieces from the Wendy and Emery Reves Collection (November 5, 1995- February 4, 1996)," November 2, 1995; File name- StillLifeReves, audio casette, no transcript. Could not listed to lecture due to time constraints.
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: Le Cannet (inhabited place/France): TGN: 7009270
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
flowers
still life
vase
domestic
vertical orientation
bouquet
interior space
pitcher
table
impressionism
underdrawing
brush strokes
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
- Heather MacDonald discusses Bonnard's flower paintings. 98432293: UMO
- object number added to Piction
- Heather MacDonald responds to a visitor's question regarding Bonnard's flower paintings. 98432438: UMO
- Object number added to Piction
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1985.R.3
source file
object_notes_2_c-0120.xml.nores