Study for "In the Street" (Dans la rue)
c. 1900
Medium
pastel and brush and black ink with scratching out on wove paper
Dimensions
overall: 27.1 x 11.4 cm (10 11/16 x 4 1/2 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Virginia and Ira Jackson Collection
Accession Number
2001.136.31
Art Historical Context
Pierre Bonnard's *Study for "In the" (Dans la rue, created around 1900, offers a glimpse into the preparatory world of this Post-Impressionist master. A key figure in the intimate, color-drenched Les Nabis group alongside peers like Maurice Denis, Bonnard was renowned for capturing everyday life with a poetic touch—often domestic interiors bathed in dappled light. This narrow drawing, likely sketching an urban scene, reflects his early 20th-century fascination with the vibrancy of Parisian streets, bridging his Nabi symbolism with emerging modernism. Executed in pastel, brush and black ink wi...
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...