Pierre Bonnard – The Splendid French Painter

Pierre Bonnard, one of the most renowned French painters and engravers, was especially famous for his ingenious experimentation with color. However, he was not revolutionary in his painting style, but he was definitely a master at portraying human emotions through colors. His fluency with colors garnered critical acclaim and appreciation from all art lovers.

Pierre Bonnard was born on October 3, 1867, in Fontenay-aux-Roses, near Paris, in a high position in the French Ministry. Therefore, his childhood was spent in luxury and consequently he had a very neglected and idyllic youth. Due to parental pressure, Bonnard graduated from law and briefly practiced. However, he was always interested in art and took additional courses for it during his spare time. On March 11, 1887, he enrolled at the Scole des Beaux-Arts and decided to be a full-time artist.

In his youth, Pierre Bonnard co-founded a group of young “symbolic” and “spiritual” artists, called Les Nabis. He exhibited his works as Nabi in the Le Barc de Boutteville Gallery. During this phase, he experimented extensively with patterns on textiles and furniture, while exhibiting a Japanese effect in his work. His friends even lovingly called him “a highly Japanese Nabi.” In March and April 1891, Pierre exhibited his work for the first time at the Société des Artistes Independientes, gathering much-needed support from all art critics. Thereafter, he exhibits annually with society.

In 1893, Pierre married Marthe de Méligny, who later modeled for most of his paintings. He obsessively portrayed her in his routine activities, stretching to cover her naked. His postmarital works, therefore, became quite personal in essence. Some of the famous paintings from that time include “Indolence” (1899) and “Man and Woman” (1900). In 1896, he had his first one-man show at Galerie Durand-Ruel. Here, the great French artist Toulouse-Lautrec thanked him for his award-winning poster. In 1910, Pierre left Paris for the south of France.

Meanwhile, the artist’s range of painting ranged from portraits to still lifes and landscapes. Bonnard would transform the simplest and most mundane everyday objects into vibrant, iridescent and faintly depicted subjects in his paintings. The small brush strokes imparted a marked “surreal” mystery influence to them. What was distinctive about Bonnard’s paintings was the true warping of time in them. The same objects in the room, such as tablecloths, kettles, and fountains, spun through the paintings. The subjects appeared weak, creating a strange mystery. Some of these renowned paintings are “The White Interior” (1932), “Still Life with Fruits” (1936), “The Country Dining Room” (1913), “Woman in Front of a Mirror” (1908) and “The Terrasse family “(1902).

The artist died on January 23, 1947, leaving a great artistic legacy. Pierre’s passion for art is evident in his use of color with great liveliness and emotion. In 1998, his works were exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The series of his paintings was titled “Pierre Bonnard: The Late Interiors”. He once quoted: “Before adding color, you must see things once, or see them a thousand times.”