Costermonger (Le marchand des quatres-saisons)

Art Historical Context

Pierre Bonnard's *Costermonger (Le marchand des quatre-saisons)*, created around 1897 and published in 1899, captures the vibrant street life of fin-de-siècle Paris. This color lithograph depicts a costermonger—a traditional street vendor hawking seasonal fruits and vegetables, evoking the lively cries of "Le marchand des quatre-saisons" that echoed through the city's markets. Bonnard, a key figure in the Post-Impressionist group Les Nabis, infused the scene with his signature decorative flair, using bold patterns and luminous colors to transform everyday urban bustle into poetic harmony. Printed on wove paper (image: 29.5 x 34 cm; sheet: 40.6 x 53.3 cm), the work exemplifies Bonnard's mastery of color lithography, a technique that allowed for rich, multi-layered hues without losing the spontaneity of his brush-like strokes. As one of his early posters, it reflects the Nabis' emphasis on flat areas of color and symbolism, bridging fine art and commercial design during the poster boom popularized by Toulouse-Lautrec. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Virginia and Ira Jackson Collection (Department CG-E), this print highlights Bonnard's fascination with ordinary life, inviting viewers to savor the sensory joys of Parisian commerce—a timeless snapshot of cultural vibrancy.

About the Artist

Pierre Bonnard · 1867–1947

Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947) was a French painter and printmaker who became a leading figure in the Post-Impressionist movement and a founding member of Les Nabis. Born on October 3, 1867, in Fontenay-aux-Roses, France, Bonnard initially studied law at his father's insistence, graduating and briefly practicing as a barrister in 1888. However, his true passion lay in art, and he had simultaneously at...