Red Plums
1892
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 24.8 x 33.7 cm (9 3/4 x 13 1/4 in.) framed: 33.34 × 42.23 × 3.18 cm (13 1/8 × 16 5/8 × 1 1/4 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CMC
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Accession Number
2006.128.9
Art Historical Context
Pierre Bonnard’s *Red Plums* (1892) offers an intimate glimpse into the artist’s early still-life practice. At just twenty-five, Bonnard was already a leading figure among the Nabis, a circle of painters who favored bold color, flattened space, and decorative patterning drawn from Japanese prints. The modest canvas—barely ten by thirteen inches—reflects the group’s preference for small, personal works meant for private enjoyment rather than grand exhibition. Painted in oil, the medium’s slow drying time allowed Bonnard to layer translucent reds and warm neutrals, giving the fruit a soft, glow...
About the Artist
Pierre Bonnard
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...