Pierre Bonnard: tribute to the memory

[ottenki_serogo]

The beginning of XX century was marked by the emergence of new trends, searching for the "grand style", which in different countries received different names - in France he was identified as Art Nouveau ( "new art"), and in Russia, for example, it is known as art nouveau.

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"In the short term - wrote D. V. Sarabyanov - survived the period of formation, flowering and decline, this style nonetheless captured the art of almost all civilized countries, and left an imprint in every national culture "[1].

Indeed, judging by outward appearances, the appearance of the winding, broken lines, the interest in ornamental - all that has been widely disseminated in different countries, but each had its own peculiarities. In France, often in contact with the modern techniques of Japanese art. In addition, he willingly obeyed the philosophy of symbolism, and some elements of its purchased value of some images were of meaning.

It was at this time, to be exact, in 1888 there is community of young French artists, which soon became known as a group, Nabi ( "prophets" in Hebrew), because they saw themselves as heralds of truth in art.

His first lesson they got from Paul Gauguin: "Instead of copying nature, passing her as you see, it is necessary to transform it, making a play of bright colors, to emphasize the simple, expressive, original arabesque and to please those eyes" [2].

The group included Paul Sérusier, Maurice Denis, Paul Ranson, Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard, Félix Vallotton and some other artists. All were young, full of ideas, passionate about not only painting, but in literature and theater. Each received a playful nickname. Thus, Pierre Bonnard called - Nabi Yaponstvuyuschy.

Maurice Denis, the chief theorist of association, wrote in 1890 in one of his articles, that the picture - this is first and foremost "a flat surface covered with colors arranged in a certain order" [3]. Indeed, Nabi tried to give a generalized image of the phenomena of nature and used primarily in bright colors. Taking the example of Gauguin, they paid much attention to the line, contour, which became or arabesque, or other patterns. Avoiding the capacity of the image objects, they gave their planar solution. Composition in their interpretation was at its construction of a more free, often asymmetrical, as they have done to the Impressionists. Celebrities pictures and background is often perceived as a single entity, and serves as a background colorful fabrics and carpets with a typical modern sophisticated figure, and sometimes even in their compositions had no free space, since the main emphasis was not done. It was a special decorative effect, which sought to many masters of the time. Not accidentally, Jan Verkade later wrote that when he arrived in 1890 in Paris, then everywhere heard the call: "Down with easel painting!" [4]

Artists Nabi tried to create a "synthetic" style, using the lessons of Gauguin, studying Japanese art and taking into account the requirements of Art Nouveau. They wanted to make a life filled with beautiful and that both consistent with their youth, with its fuse, irrepressible energy and gusts to happiness. But the group was mixed. From the outset, it got on different trends. On the one hand - Sérusier and Denis, with their tendency towards religious symbols, but on the other - Bonnard and Vuillard, who attempted in their own way to display the surrounding real world of people for what they called "intimistami.

Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) among Nabi was one of the most gifted artists. He had a penetrating and subtle mind, had a tendency to joke, but in kind was more complicated than it might seem from the outside. Verkade recalled: "fantastically talented, but too smart to give a sense of superiority, he was able to hide what was in him a genius" [5].

Alexander Benois was about Bonnard this view: "Bonnard in those years (1897, 1898, 1899) was a tall, skinny, dark-haired and temnoborodym young man typical Parisian student or rapenom ... And with him I did not support the ensuing was familiar, but here the reason was it a specifically French sarcastic mind, which I was afraid, and that irritated me. But perhaps not this same tendency to joke and mockery affected and in his work ... "Paying tribute to the talent of the artist, Benoit believed that" in purely a colorful sense, France is not the end of XIX century, has created perhaps the painter Bonnard equal. " And the peculiarity of his skill, according to Benoit, that the "miracle eyes open and Bonnard in the most ordinary things wonderful treasures flowery. Talking about it, you can not do without comparing his paintings with music. Paints Bonnard really sing, ring, fused in a completely unique chords ... "[6]

Bonnard first attracted attention in 1889, billboards champagne. There is only one character - the slightly drunken woman with a glass of champagne, foam from which, together with sweeping letters and boldly outlined the silhouette of a woman given an expressive and memorable decorative image. Solution is the freshness and novelty, which is observed even Toulouse-Lautrec, a very discerning connoisseurs. He decided immediately to get acquainted with the author. Bonnard brought him to the publisher Ankur and thus de Toulouse-Lautrec began to develop a new genre for himself, creating in him over time, true masterpieces such as "Moulin Rouge". Poster Bonnard «France - Champagne» brought him the first fee and the first inspired confidence in their strength and that the profession of an artist can provide a means of livelihood.

In the early years of the artist's lot of time given to the decoration. Decorative even his portraits. This is evident in such work as "Mlle Andre Bonnard with dogs" (1890. Paris, a collection of A. Terras). Yet true to his style, he came after careful study of Japanese art, whom he met at the Paris exhibition of 1890. The artist tries to use the experience of the Japanese masters and revive a purely decorative life experiences. Since there are such paintings as "Etude Cats" (1890. Private collection), "Two Dogs" (1891. Southampton Art Gallery) and others. In some works, which is common to many Nabi, a decorative element predominates, with the figures of people or animals often are ornamental in nature. It is obviously seen in the paintings "Woman with a rabbit" (1891. New York, private collection). By the way, Maurice Denis is very similar to the nature of performance work - "Mrs. Ranson with the cat" (circa 1892. Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a collection of J. Denis). This suggests that early in his career, many Nabi influenced by each other, they had a common aesthetic platform, but then their paths diverged.

As in life, in his early paintings Bonnard often ironic, but over the years is the quality of care, there is a tendency to generalize and even to misanthropy, but according to his friends, this misanthropy was more on the innate goodness and desire to be alone with his art .

Much attention is paid artists Nabi theater. In the theater, Antoine, in the Moscow Art Theater, "Paul Faure, and especially in the" Theater of creativity "by Lyune who has worked closely with the poets and writers - the Symbolists, Nabi fully able to exercise their dream of a synthetic art. Bonnard, even though he was a stranger to symbolism, but with pleasure plunged into the magic atmosphere of hypocrisy. He and his friends took part in the establishment, such as scenery for a play by Alfred Jarry "King Yubyu" for the theater Lyune by. He painted scenery, made posters and programmki and for many other productions.

In early 1890, like all Nabi, in the formation of identity has played a Bonnard cooperation in the journal «La Revue Blanche», based brothers Nathanson, where artists take an active part in the fight against the dominance of French art at the time of naturalism and academic. They felt they were in the vanguard of young forces, for whom the future, and this is very encouraging and give them confidence in themselves.

Around the same time, Bonnard seriously engaged in graphics. It was characterized with respect to the model as positive attitude, and keen observation. These qualities are seen in such masterpieces of the masters as "Boulevard" (1895. Color lithograph. From "Some Aspects of Paris Life"), "Little laundress" (1897. Color lithograph from the album "Artists-engravers").

The artist made many illustrations for books. The best of them belong to the turn of the century. This is - to illustrate the novel by Peter Nansen "Maria" (1898), to the "parallel" Verlaine (1990), as well as to "Daphnis and Chloe" (1902). We highly appreciate the skill of the illustrator Bonnard-Auguste Renoir. He said: "Do you have a charm, charm, do not neglect this ... it is - a precious gift" [7].

At the time, not only Renoir reacted favorably to the works of Bonnard, but Claude Monet, who lived in Giverny near Vernon, where in 1912 he settled Bonnard, who had come to an acknowledged master, not only to admire the garden, but a collection of paintings, which included paintings by Delacroix, Corot, Renoir, Cezanne ... As a result, the beginning of the century in the style of Bonnard's a marked change: it departs from the conventions of deliberate Nabi, brightens the palette and aspires to make their work life experiences, as well as solve the problem, close the masters of impressionism, as follows: careful observation of nature, the transfer of light effects and airspace. This does not mean that he abandoned the ideals of youth, but, initially knowing little as he confessed, the Impressionists, discover their potential. New trends are already visible in a series of lithographs "Some features of Parisian Life" (1895), published by A. Vollarom. Here Bonnard avoids unnecessary ornamental and generalization of the contour characteristic of his early works. He strives to convey to the fullest extent and only their feelings and observations.

The influence of the Impressionists and the impact of special interest to Bonnard landscape. One of the masterpieces of the early twentieth century, where he showed new facets of talent wizard - is "The corner of Paris (c. 1905. St Petersburg, Hermitage). Landscape, written entirely in impressionistic, lively bunch of young children. Baby figurines ordinariness brightens this corner of the big city with a slovenly pasted posters on the fence and unprepossessing facades. In the color scheme is nothing screaming, it is lyrical and chamber. But it was a time when the arena of artistic life in Paris were fauvists. Compared with them the art of Bonnard noted stamp of good taste and noble restraint.

Among the artists Bonnard particularly singled out by Degas, from whom he had a lot nauchilsya.Tematika his paintings under the influence of Degas is growing: in 1894 - a series of races, 1896 - the theater, in particular - the ballet scene in the cafe, 1897 - Circus. But this influence is particularly felt in the interest of Bonnard to nudity - to the scenes of the morning washing and dressing women. Perhaps this is due to his meeting in 1894 with Martha de Melini (otherwise - Mary Bursa), with whom he later joined his life. Getting to Martha made the artist's existence more harmonious, diverted from the bachelor habits, lit up a new creative muse and led to a more secluded life: he loved the rustic solitude, where nothing interfered with his work.


One of the most famous paintings depicting nudity is "a mirror above the wash" (1908. Moscow, Pushkin Museum). In this work, clearly the influence of the Impressionists, especially Degas. Range of colors muted, dominated by gray and silver tones. Items on the table gently overlap with the reflection of reality (Martha with a cup of models and from the back). The artist gives the viewer an opportunity to see how things shape and enveloped by reflected light using a mirror and how the light plays on different reflexes on the texture of things.

The effect of flow interaction of light with the naked body is particularly well shown in the painting "Nude Against the World" (1908. Brussels, Royal Museum of Fine Arts). Here, bright light floods the room, standing on the body of a girl flashing multiple reflections, the sun's rays are at all furnishings, making this a colorful extravaganza.

From the Impressionists by Bonnard had a desire to work in the open air. But he carries out this task completely in its own way, without changing its own individuality. From its curved tracks in the open air most famous being the portrait of the family garden terrace. The picture was called "After dinner, in a bourgeois family" (1900. Paris, private collection). The name of the picture is hidden certain amount of humor, although the closest the artist depicts people - my sister's husband, herself and their children. Composition carefully planned: in the picture is almost no free space, as is customary at Nabi. Had to introduce even fictional characters. The deliberate statuesqueness stressed state of a light afternoon torpor. But at the same time the figures are written out with pleasure, with love and understanding of the characteristics of each. This is a sample of some of the provincial Sunday family holiday, on which the author makes fun a little.

Since the beginning of a new century in Bonnard's interest appears to portrait genre. He liked to write their friends. Full of genuine psychologism "Portrait of Ed. Vuillard (c. 1906. Paris, private collection). Attention attract smart, lively eyes on a quiet, more thoughtful person. This image of an intellectual, a man of complex inner life, of which Maurice Denis once said: "The outstanding quality of his paintings - it is intelligence" [8].

Like Vuillard, Bonnard was able to express the idea of intimacy, the merger model with its surroundings. An example of this attitude to the characters is "Portrait Michiya and Tadeo Nathanson (1902. Brussels, Royal Museum of Fine Arts). This portrait painted in the interior and is in the nature of genre scenes, though at first sight is visible difference between spouses: Beauty MISSION clearly poses an artist and knows how good it is, and her husband played with the dog and not paying attention to what is happening. If the secular beauty Misiey Bonnard delighted (as it has been caught many of his circle), then Tadeo Nathanson, he stressed the kindness and humanity. Dissimilarity of these people is obvious, it soon led to their divorce. And such an end as it anticipates the artist.

Is successful and the portrait of Vollara (circa 1906. Zurich, Kunsthauz). Well-known collector and publisher of shows at home is simple: with the cat in her arms. Although Vollar was complicated kind, but the artist characterizes his best.

Since the beginning of the century Bonnard was interested in the decorative compositions. If the work on the portraits, genre scenes and landscapes, he has walked away from the techniques inherent in the Art Nouveau style, the decorative compositions often resort to them. This challenge mergers decorative images with the transfer of immediate sensations of nature, he brilliantly solves triptych "Mediterranean Sea" (1911. St Petersburg, Hermitage), created for Morozov.

Triptych is a holistic composition placed on three large stretcher. Although in general it is a single landscape with figures, but each part, divided by columns, is compositionally complete. The theme of the paintings - an image of the garden overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Against the backdrop of huge trees, near the foot of them are given the figures of women and children. They enliven the landscape, but still ruled in its trees. Their fanciful stretched crown frame slips away the Mediterranean Sea. His cold and heat stresses the alluring blue of the Southern afternoon.

Panel expected to place on the landing, so that the audience they opened gradually: first, the figures of people, and then a magnificent landscape with trees and the sea. This work was done in 1911 shortly after Bonnard's trip to the south, which he remained the most enthusiastic recollections. And he managed to convey his feelings: calm majesty of nature and the magnificent southern fairytale image of its secret power of the sea. While such an experience of creating monumental and decorative painting - one of the few in the works of Bonnard, but, according to experts, it represents the best example of this genre among the works of artists such terms Nabi.

Triptych "Mediterranean" has become perhaps the last great work of the master before the First World War, which marked the beginning of another period of the artist's work.

After the horrors of war, the public had a need in the art, glorifying a beautiful, quiet, ordinary life. Therefore Bonnard works were in demand as never before. About him write his work was exhibited ... But the artist was not satisfied with this success. He understood that after the emergence of Fauvism and the Cubists need a different attitude to the world. And solve problems similar to Cezanne 1880.

Life continues to attract Bonnard of his poetry. And he is, and it showed, but do not distort the reality, and left her recognizable. Remarkable work of the postwar period is the "Grenelle Bridge" (1919. Paris, private collection). Landscape in the full sense of the word, he became a kind of "discovery" of this genre to Bonnard. Composition is almost symmetrical. It is based on a combination of horizontals and verticals. Dominated by vertical Eiffel Tower. The picture is striking conciseness and elegance of both color combinations. It shows all the signs of the novelty, which resulted Bonnard creative research in recent years.

Since the artist was now destined to live in small towns, once a genre of landscape in his work takes center stage. Frequent crossings were related to his wife's illness. Thus, in 1912, Bonnard lived near Vernon, and in 1925 bought a villa near Cannes.

During these years, written many landscapes. The artist seemed to be re-mastering the image space, often giving a clear indication that do not allow the viewer's eye to get lost in infinity. If, however, depicted the sea, the picture is dominated by its color. For example, "Bay of Saint-meal, Mistral" (1936. England, private collection). Often, the master gives an overview of the area with the highest point, as in the movie "The general view of Vernon" (1929. New York, private collection) or Le Cannes "(1938. New York, private collection). The difference between landscape 1920-1930-ies from earlier - in a more bold and saturated color scheme.

In those years in the works of Bonnard appears to him and a new genre of still life. If landscapes gave him an opportunity in their own way to solve the problem space, it still lives - showing shapes of objects. Simultaneously, the master more closely related to composition and color. In these works Bonnard things connect with Cezanne, but unlike the latter, he often introduces artificial lighting. For the best pictures include "Fruits" (1920. Zurich, private collection), "Grapes" (c. 1928. New York, private collection), "Red Wardrobe (c. 1933. Paris, private collection).

Some tracks are clearly visible decorative tendencies, but they differ from the methods used by the artist at the beginning of his career. For example, "Corner Table" (circa 1935. Paris, Museum of Modern Art), their compositional structure resembles the work of G. Braque. Very often, Bonnard uses saturated colors, especially with a bouquet of flowers, as in the movie "Red Poppies" (1926. Mexico City, private collection).

Of no less interest than to the image of objects, the artist feels for the transfer of the naked body. Typically, this female figure, lying quietly in a landscape, the interior, with sharp turns, as, for example, in "Naked in the green shoes" (circa 1925. Chicago, private collection). In contrast to earlier works, Bonnard often gives a more bold colors. This is illustrated by the "naked in the bath" (circa 1938-1941. New York, private collection). And very often the artist poses in March, her figure is almost always placed in the interior, as seen in the movie "Dining Room" ( "Morning Breakfast") (c. 1930-1931. New York, Museum of Contemporary Art).

In these works, with their unpretentious sense of genuine motives lyricism, quiet joy of family life and intimacy.

Do not forget to Bonnard and his old hobby of decorative and monumental art. Together with Vuillard and Russel in 1937, the artist takes part in the decoration of the staircase of the Palace Theater of Chaillot. His topic, he chose the image of spring, when everything is full of the joy of life, all the poetic - nature, animals, people ... However, Bonnard remained not satisfied with his work. Such self-criticism is particularly characteristic of mature years of his life.

If you judge a work of the artist 1920-1930-ies, they have become more bold in color, pattern and more balanced in composition construction.

The last decades of Bonnard's life marked by many hardships and losses: it survived the Second World War, lost his wife and many close friends ... But, despite this, continued to work. But in his paintings no longer calm and serenity. Contrasting colors, jagged, nervous silhouettes of objects create a sense of anxiety and inner tension. Written during the war, self-portraits show a tired, exhausted man with a darkened face and restless eyes.

Nevertheless, in the final product Bonnard - in the "almond tree in bloom" (1947. Paris, the Museum of Modern Art) - see his belief in the eternal renewal of nature and the beauty of life. Painting at the request of the artist until the last moments of all time was before his eyes. He died January 23, 1947.