Sketches for a Natural History (Histoires naturelles) (recto); Rooster (verso)

1899·Brush and black ink with red pastel (recto), and brush and black ink (verso), offset on cream wove paper·49.9 × 31.9 cm (19 11/16 × 12 9/16 in.)

<p>In his paintings drawings and prints, Pierre Bonnard brought an intimacy as well as an opulent wit to the Parisian scene, transforming the street corner, middle-class parlour, or farmyard into his own charming imagery. Here, with a series of rapid, loose strokes, he has caught the movement of pigs, roosters, and goats, who strut around as if they were human.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1899
Medium: Brush and black ink with red pastel (recto), and brush and black ink (verso), offset on cream wove paper
Dimensions: 49.9 × 31.9 cm (19 11/16 × 12 9/16 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Pierre Bonnard

Artist

Pierre Bonnard

Painting

Pierre Bonnard was a French painter, illustrator and printmaker, known especially for the stylized decorative qualities of his paintings and his bold use of color. A founding member of the Post-Impressionist group of avant-garde painters Les Nabis, his early work was strongly influenced by the work of Paul Gauguin, as well as the prints of Hokusai and other Japanese artists. Bonnard was a leading figure in the transition from Impressionism to Modernism. He painted landscapes, urban scenes, portraits and intimate domestic scenes, where the backgrounds, colors and painting style usually took precedence over the subject.

Fontenay-aux-Roses, France

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