Pierre Bonnard

Estate of the artist
Private Collection (acquired circa 1974)
Private Collection, France (and sold: Millon & Associés, Paris, November 28, 2007, lot 64)
Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Tokyo, Tokyu Department Store, Bonnard, 1973, no. 6, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, Catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint (1888-1905), vol. I, Paris, 1966, no. 278, illustrated p. 266 

This work is in very good condition. Canvas is not lined. There are faint horizontal stretcher bar marks approximately two inches from the top and bottom edges. Under UV light, there is a one centimeter area of inpainting that fluoresces in figure's hand. There is a small stroke of inpainting just below and to the right of figure's hand. Otherwise fine.
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.

Painted circa 1903, Jeune femme, robe bleu-vert explores two themes central to Bonnard's practice: the intimate moments of everyday life and portraiture. Additionally, it marks the moment after Bonnard’s involvement with the Nabis, a group of artists and close friends who explored a subjective art that was deeply rooted in the soul of the artist. For Bonnard, his artistic soul was an extension of his perception, painting from memory rather than life. Through his practice, he would not simply capture the object, but also its essence. By the time he was done with a painting, the freshness of a scene would have long passed and transformed into a hazy memory.

In Jeune femme, robe bleu-vert, Bonnard captures what one sees when suddenly entering a room: a flood of light or an unexpected guest, maybe even both. The young girl’s distant gaze is oblique, forcing the viewer to not only study her closely, but to create a narrative around her. By doing so, Bonnard’s art makes the viewer experience both what he sees and, more importantly, what he does not see: the essence of the moment.

To achieve a feeling of immediacy in his painting, Bonnard looked to photography for inspiration. He foreshortened, cropped, and lit the sitter in a way that pushes her to the foreground, capturing a snapshot of the moment. For the artist, “the foreground…gives a concept of the world as seen through the human eyes, of a world of undulations, convex or concave” (quoted in Pierre Bonnard: The Late Still Lifes and Interiors (exhibition catalogue), New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, p. 12). In this way, Jeune femme, robe bleu-vert foreshadows Bonnard’s experimental interest in space and search for a spatial link between two realms: that of the canvas and that of reality.