Pierre Bonnard, French, 1867-1947
Title: Nude before a Mirror
Date: 1915
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
59.9 x 51 cm
Signed: lower right: Bonnard
Credit Line: Purchased, 2009
Object Number: NGI.2009.13
DescriptionIntimate in scale and subject-matter, Bonnard depicts a nude woman occupied with her toilette in a boudoir setting. It was a subject that he would sketch and paint hundreds of times. Although Bonnard did use professional models, his depictions of the female toilette were mainly modelled upon his partner Marthe de Méligny (1869-1942).
The composition is arranged with an artful randomness that teases the viewer by simultaneously rewarding and thwarting visual expectations. The pitcher and bowl lead the viewer into the picture but are abruptly cut by the canvas edge while the opening of the fireplace is partially blocked by a white towel. Bonnard further hides and reveals by presenting the woman's body from behind and reflecting her face into the room on the surface of the framed mirror, a device which creates the effect of a painting within the painting.
Heightened colour and tonal contrasts are characteristic of Bonnard's work. Yellows, oranges and pinks are shot with blues and chalky whites to give an intensity and luminosity to the scene. Bonnard's sketchy brushwork might suggest that this picture was executed rapidly from life, but his finished paintings were, in fact, studio pieces, based upon sketches, photographs and memory.
The composition is arranged with an artful randomness that teases the viewer by simultaneously rewarding and thwarting visual expectations. The pitcher and bowl lead the viewer into the picture but are abruptly cut by the canvas edge while the opening of the fireplace is partially blocked by a white towel. Bonnard further hides and reveals by presenting the woman's body from behind and reflecting her face into the room on the surface of the framed mirror, a device which creates the effect of a painting within the painting.
Heightened colour and tonal contrasts are characteristic of Bonnard's work. Yellows, oranges and pinks are shot with blues and chalky whites to give an intensity and luminosity to the scene. Bonnard's sketchy brushwork might suggest that this picture was executed rapidly from life, but his finished paintings were, in fact, studio pieces, based upon sketches, photographs and memory.
ProvenanceGalerie Beyeler, Basel; Marcel Mabille, Brussels, by 1959; Private Collection, Belgium; Sotheby's, London, 24 June 1997, lot 12; Private Collection; purchased, Christie's, New York, 6 May 2009, Impressionist/Modern Sale, lot 20.
Exhibition HistoryL'Ecole de Paris dans les collections belges, Musee d'art Moderne, Paris, 1959
Label TextBonnard is known for his depictions of private life in domestic contexts and is often described as an Intimist. Like Edgar Degas, whom he greatly admired, he sketched and painted the subject of the female toilette hundreds of times. Although Bonnard did employ professional models, his partner Marthe de Méligny also modelled for him. Here, he presents the woman's body from behind but reflects her face on the surface of the framed mirror. This compositional device creates the effect of a painting within the painting. The overlaid strokes of hot and cool colours give a sense of warmth and luminosity to the scene.