The Orchard (Le verger)
1899
Medium
color lithograph on China paper
Dimensions
image: 33 x 36 cm (13 x 14 3/16 in.) sheet: 45.4 x 56 cm (17 7/8 x 22 1/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Virginia and Ira Jackson Collection
Accession Number
2000.180.17
Art Historical Context
Pierre Bonnard's *The Orchard (Le ver)*, created in 1899, the artist's signature delight in everyday beauty through a vibrant color lithograph on delicate China paper. A key figure in the Post-Impressionist group Les Nabis, Bonnard infused his works with intimate domestic scenes and lush natural settings, often blurring the line between painting and decoration. This print likely depicts a sun-dappled orchard, evoking the serene French countryside and Bonnard's fascination with light filtering through leaves and patterns of shadow. The medium is particularly noteworthy: color lithography allow...
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...