The Letter (La Lettre)
1925
Medium
lithograph in black on laid paper
Dimensions
sheet: 32.4 × 49.2 cm (12 3/4 × 19 3/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Virginia and Ira Jackson Collection
Accession Number
2000.180.77
Art Historical Context
**The Letter (Lare)**, a delicate 1925 lithograph French artist Pierre Bonnard, captures an intimate moment on laid paper, measuring 324 × 49.2 cm. Bonnard, a key figure in the Post-Impressionist group Les Nabis, was renowned for his luminous depictions of everyday life, often infused with decorative patterns and emotional warmth. By the 1920s, he had transitioned into a more personal, Fauve-influenced style, emphasizing domestic scenes that evoke quiet joy and nostalgia. Rendered in black ink, this print showcases Bonnard's mastery of lithography—a planar printing technique that allowed for ...
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...