Bonnard /
Nicholas Watkins.
- London : Phaidon Press, 1996.
- 240 p. : ill. ; 30 cm.
The French painter Pierre Bonnard is best known as a painter of intimate, domestic interiors, but he was also a highly accomplished draughtsman, producing a wealth of lithographs and drawings. He began his career as a graphic artist, producing posters and illustrations for "La Revue Blanche" and other magazines. Associated with the Nabis group from 1890, his early work is characterized by a tendency towards broad, flat colours and asymmetrical compositions derived from Paul Gauguin and Japanese prints. From 1900 his palette became richer and his mature work has ensured his reputation as one of the 20th century's great colourists. This book is a reassessment of Bonnard's life and work, arguing that he was not a sentimental survivor of Impressionism, as some have claimed, but a highly demanding and innovative artist who responded to new formal challenges.