Study for Petit Solfège Illustré, Chapitre 1
c. 1891-1893
Medium
pen and black ink with black wash over graphite on wove paper
Dimensions
sheet: 20.32 × 28.26 cm (8 × 11 1/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Bequest of William B. Jordan and Robert Dean Brownlee
Accession Number
2019.45.7
Art Historical Context
Pierre Bonnard's *Study for Petit Solf Illustré, Chapitre1* (c. 1891–1893) offers a glimpse into the early career of this French Post-Impressionist master, who co-founded the intimate, decorative Nabis group alongside peers like Maurice Denis and Édouard Vuillard. Created when Bonnard was in his mid-20s, this drawing served as a preparatory sketch for an illustrated music primer—"Petit Solfège Illustré," or "Little Illustrated Solfege"—likely blending educational content with the playful, whimsical style that defined his graphic work during the 1890s. At the National Gallery of Art, it reflect...
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...