2017.44.2 Pierre Bonnard, Woman with a Lamp | DMA Staging Content Management System

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Although trained as an attorney, Pierre Bonnard abandoned law to pursue painting. In his twenties, along with Paul Sérusier and Félix Vallotton, he joined an artist group called the Nabis (from the Hebrew word for prophet). The Nabis rejected painting as an objective representation of the world and instead championed its decorative function, embracing simplified lines and flattened bands of color. Painted after the group disbanded, Woman with a Lamp shows Bonnard’s continued interest in depicting women in contemplative moments within domestic interiors. The flat patches of dissolving color draw attention to the ornamental and dreamy quality of the painting. For Bonnard, color was of primary importance, a way of expressing his artistic vision. Here, the long red tablecloth, a recurring motif in his later work, is the dominant note in this quiet, intimate scene.

Excerpt from

Nicole R. Myers, DMA label copy, 2018.

NOTES

Created in 1909

Checked Piction

Catalogue essays

Nabis

Artist/designers

Bonnard, Pierre (French, 1867-1947)

Cultures

Geography

Depicted location and place of origin: Paris (France): TGN: 7008038

Process/materials

Oil on paper, mounted on canvas

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

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WEB RESOURCES

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York~Learn more about this period of Pierre Bonnard's career from the essay "Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947): The Late Interiors."
Tate, London~Learn more about the life and work of Bonnard.

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Apply to objects where number equals 2017.44.2

General Description

Although trained as an attorney, Pierre Bonnard abandoned law to pursue painting. In his twenties, along with Paul Sérusier and Félix Vallotton, he joined an artist group called the Nabis (from the Hebrew word for prophet). The Nabis rejected painting as an objective representation of the world and instead championed its decorative function, embracing simplified lines and flattened bands of color. Painted after the group disbanded, Woman with a Lamp shows Bonnard’s continued interest in depicting women in contemplative moments within domestic interiors. The flat patches of dissolving color draw attention to the ornamental and dreamy quality of the painting. For Bonnard, color was of primary importance, a way of expressing his artistic vision. Here, the long red tablecloth, a recurring motif in his later work, is the dominant note in this quiet, intimate scene.