Lot 548
  • 548

Pierre Bonnard

Estimate
130,000 - 170,000 GBP
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Description

  • Pierre Bonnard
  • La charmille
  • stamped Bonnard (lower left)
  • oil on panel
  • 27.8 by 36.6cm., 11 by 14 3/8 in.

Provenance

Wildenstein & Co., New York
Arthur Tooth & Sons, London
Private Collection, Switzerland (sale: Sotheby's, London, 30th March 1988, lot 109)
Sale: Sotheby's New York, 13th November 1996, lot 169
Monsieur Georges Bemberg

Exhibited

Singapore, Singapore Art Museum, The Origins of Modern Art in France 1880-1939, no. 20
Madrid, Centro Cultural del Conde Duque, Una mirada sobre Pierre Bonnard, 2001

Literature

Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint 1888-1905, Paris, 1992, vol. I,  no. 263, illustrated p. 257

Condition

Oil on paper laid down on cradled panel. The panel is sound. There is s layer of milky varnish preventing the UV light from fully penetrating, however UV examination does not reveal any signs of retouching. There is some very gentle undulation in places due to the laying down process, two very minor spots of paint loss to the centre of the upper left quadrant and one further minor spot of paint loss towards the centre of the extreme lower edge. There is some texture to the work. This work is in overall 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

From 1900, as Pierre Bonnard spent more time outside the city, the beauty of nature became the dominant focus of his work. This increasing engagement with the natural world was accompanied by a corresponding loosening of his ties with the Nabis circle and their search to free form and colour from their traditional descriptive functions in order to express emotions and spiritual truths. During this formative period Bonnard developed a luminous and subjective style that built on the Impressionists’ use of colour, whilst, retaining the original emphasis on the flat, decorative purpose of painting that was the legacy of his Nabis association.

La charmille is a wonderful early example of Bonnard’s engagement with the garden motif. The influence of the Nabis style is visible: In the present work Bonnard abandons perspective almost completely, emphasising the opulent surface texture through varied brushstrokes, whilst figures and background are seemingly merged into single plane. Bonnard’s attempt to capture nature’s rich and ever changing nuances through the use of a varied palette of rich greens, in combination with short brush strokes, is a testament to the influence of Impressionism. The theme of the garden itself is owed to this influence: Claude Monet found his garden to be an inexhaustible source of inspiration, and Bonnard and Monet maintained very close relations, living from 1912 in close proximity to Giverny and Vernonnet.