Pierre Bonnard

Succession Bonnard (Inv. no. 24)
Wildenstein & Co., Buenos Aires
Acquired from the above

Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, vol. III, Paris, 1973, no. 1531, illustrated p. 416

Executed on cream wove paper laid down on canvas, presumably by the artist; subsequently lined with a second canvas. Some minor frame rubbing is visible along the extreme edges. Surface is slightly dirty. Under UV light: very small dots of retouching pertaining to previous frame abrasion visible at the edges; large spots are visible just to the left of the right edge and left edge, as well as at the extreme upper right corner. A thick layer of varnish makes the surface difficult to read through, but no other inpainting is apparent. Overall the work is in very 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.

Pierre Bonnard can be considered one of the greatest colorists of the Modern era.  Under the influence of Gauguin as a young artist in Les Nabis, Bonnard learned to strip art to the essentials of color, surface and form.  Bonnard was greatly influenced by Japanese woodblock prints, as he learned color could express anything, including light, forms and character.  In his later life, Bonnard's focus settled on capturing the particularities of his surroundings through his artistic vision.  As André Fermigier notes, "from 1930 on he uses color with surprising boldness and freedom.  The local color of objects disappears, along with the conventional drawing of their forms.  Bonnard transposes reality entirely into the color range which for so long had been his favorite, one abounding in mauves, lilacs, oranges, pinks, and violet-blues" (André Fermigier, Pierre Bonnard, New York, 1969, p. 39).

 

La rue aux volets verts was executed around the time the artist moved to Le Cannet near the French Riviera and is exemplary of Bonnard's fascination with color.  Conjuring a scene without time or place, Bonnard's dynamic palette transforms an ordinary city street into a harmony of green, orange and violet.  Bonnard's mastery of color earned him praise from André Lhote, who suggested, "there are two families of painters who would employ particularly pleasing harmonies: the first, like Van Gogh, using the chromatic triangle of red-yellow-blue; the second, like Bonnard, violet-green-orange" (Jean Clair, "The adventures of the optic nerve," in Bonnard, The Late Paintings, London, 1984, p. 41).