Pierre Bonnard

Art Historical Context

**Pierre Bonnard (1900)** by Odilon Redon a striking lithograph portrait that captures the essence of fellow artist Pierre Bonnard, a key figure in the Post-Impression group Les Nabis. Created at the turn of the century, print reflects Redon's mastery of Symbolism, a movement he helped define through his dreamlike, introspective works. Though Redon is renowned for fantastical visions like floating eyes and mythical creatures in his earlier black-and-white prints, by 1900 he was increasingly portraying real subjects with a poetic intensity, bridging the ethereal and the human. Lithography, Redon's preferred medium for prints, allowed him to achieve velvety textures and subtle gradations through greasy crayon on limestone, inking only the drawn areas for multiple impressions. This technique lent the portrait a luminous, almost otherworldly quality, emphasizing Bonnard's thoughtful gaze and the intimate camaraderie among avant-garde artists in fin-de-siècle Paris. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Rosenwald Collection—a treasure trove of fine prints—this work highlights Redon's pivotal role in elevating printmaking to high art. Part of the CG-E department's focus on prints, *Pierre Bonnard* invites visitors to ponder the personal bonds fueling artistic innovation, a testament to the era's creative ferment.

About the Artist

Odilon Redon · 1840–1916

Odilon Redon (1840-1916) was a French Symbolist painter, printmaker, and pastellist whose visionary art bridged the 19th-century Symbolist movement and 20th-century Surrealism. Born Bertrand Redon in Bordeaux on April 20, 1840, he earned the nickname "Odilon" from his mother Odile. His father, who made his fortune in the Louisiana slave trade, conceived Odilon in New Orleans before the family retu...