Pierre Bonnard

Estate of the artist

Galerie Wildenstein, Paris (acquired from the above circa 1947)

Private Collection, Germany

Private Collection (by the 1970s)

Thence by descent to the present owner

Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard. Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint,  vol. IV, Paris, 1974, no. 01964, illustrated p. 294

Good condition. The canvas is lined. Under ultra-violet light, there is scattered retouching, most significantly along the lower horizontal and left vertical framing edge; in the upper left above the sitter's shoulder; a thin, horizontal line (about 8 cm) above the lower horizontal framing edge; a few small spots in the sitter's proper right leg, and small specks in the legs, one in the hair and one above her right eye. The painting layer is stable and the work is in good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Bonnard's depictions of the female nude were perhaps the best-regarded of his oeuvre.  Throughout his career, the artist would execute numerous canvases of nude women at their toilette, emerging from the bath or dressing themselves.  The nudes in many of these painting were usually inspired by people close to him, but for the most part the model was the artist's longtime companion, Maria Boursin (then Marthe Bonnard).  Often pictured from a distance and surrounded by a comfortable interior setting, Bonnard's nudes look very much at ease with themselves, and as a result, these images have a natural and somewhat spontaneous quality, which enhances the intimacy of the scene.  These women are depicted during their most private moments and convey the artist's understanding of and sensitivity towards the rituals of the bourgeoisie.

In Nu Assis, jambe pliée, completed around 1909, Bonnard presents the nude in full view, with her leg extending beyond the picture plane.  Like Degas, who would radically crop his images of bathers in a manner resembling Japanese prints, Bonnard employs a similar method of establishing the boundary between the viewer and the figure.  He encourages us to imagine the domestic space beyond the scope of the canvas with this pictorial device.  There was a fine line between openness and vulnerability that was inherent in these compositions of nudes, and here Bonnard's careful attention to the arrangement of space ensures the delicate balance of the two qualities.

 

The nude is captured here in a personal moment, and appears to be deeply absorbed in her thoughts, as if unaware of being watched.  Despite the imposing scale of this work, Bonnard retains the warm, personal atmosphere of his best intimiste paintings, portraying his muse indulging in a private moment.  At the same time, he takes pleasure in depicting her nude figure in its full glory, lit by the warm light coming from an invisible source.  Bonnard treated her skin as if depicting a landscape, creating a dramatic contrast between those parts exposed to light, like her legs and shoulder, and the parts in the shadow, including her face.

 

Discussing Bonnard's portrayals of Marthe, Sarah Whitfield wrote: 'Marthe is almost always seen in her own domestic surroundings, and as an integral part of those surroundings. [...]  In a sense many of these works are variations on the theme of the artist and his model as well as on the double portrait.  This is the case even when Bonnard is not visible. [...]  We are always made acutely aware that whatever the subject of the painting – a nude, a still life, a landscape – what we are being asked to witness (and to participate in) is the process of looking.  But it is in the paintings of Marthe above all that we find Bonnard portraying himself as the ever-attentive, watchful presence' (S. Whitfield, 'Fragments of Identical World', in Bonnard (exhibition catalogue), Tate Gallery, London, 1998, p. 17).