Pierre Bonnard

Succession Bonnard (inv no: 375)

Paris, Fondation Dina Vierny, Musée Maillol, Pierre Bonnard, 2000, no. 40, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Bonnard, no. 41, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Ornans, Musée Courbet, Jeux d'eau de la source à l'océan, 2004, no. B11, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, catalogue raisonné l'oeuvre peint 1920-1939, vol. III, Paris, 1973, no. 1236, illustrated p. 198

This work is in very good condition. Under UV light a few isolated spots of inpainting are visible at upper left corner and center of top edge, otherwise fine.
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En Bateau, La Promenade en Mer, circa 1924, is an exquisite example of Bonnard’s extraordinary mastery of color, light and atmosphere, but above all it exemplifies his very particular ability to capture the charming intimacy of daily family life. Bonnard executed very few portraits in the traditional sense, preferring that his figures be placed within some larger pictorial context: "the starting point for any creative urge was often an emotion, a striking interplay of light, colours, shapes or movements that he found expressive or charming" (Margrit Hahnloser-Ingold, in Bonnard, London, 1984, p. 72). In the majority of the titles for these works, Bonnard gave no indication of the names of the people depicted, as if not wanting to detract from his main artistic preoccupation which had more to do with light, space, color and atmosphere. The present work depicts three generations of his family enjoying the invigorating sea air on a boat trip: the artist’s obsession with light made the reflective qualities of water extremely appealing, and boats themselves were particularly interesting for the compositional framing possibilities offered by their many ropes, masts and internal structures. Indeed, the viewpoint employed by Bonnard in the present work is one of undeniable modernity: the close confines of the boat mean that the figures are pushed right up against the picture plane, and it is this closeness that gives the painting its strong feeling of immediacy.

The stunning palette of the present work deserves particular mention. The beautiful blues and purples complement the yellow clothes of the right-hand figure, echoed again in the bright yellow strip of the beach in the background. It is clearly a blustery day, but a bright one too, full of vitality and energy, a feeling very much reflected in the dynamic waves and dramatic clouds.