Study for Petit Solfège Illustré, Chapitre 1

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 reflects the era's fascination with japonisme and bold, flattened forms in printmaking and book illustration. Executed in pen and black ink with black wash over graphite on modest wove paper (20.32 × 28.26 cm), the piece showcases Bonnard's precise yet fluid technique: subtle underdrawings in graphite provide structure, while expressive ink lines and tonal washes build depth and movement. This mixed-media approach highlights his versatility, bridging fine art and commercial design—a hallmark of Nabi experimentation that influenced modern graphic arts. As part of the bequest from collectors William B. Jordan and Robert Dean Brownlee, this intimate study captures Bonnard's youthful ingenuity, foreshadowing his lifelong pursuit of color, light, and everyday poetry in later paintings. A charming window into fin-de-siècle French creativity!

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...