The Street at Night in the Rain (Rue, le soir, sous la pluie)
c. 1897 (published 1899)
Medium
color lithograph (proof) on thin wove paper
Dimensions
image: 25.6 × 35.2 cm (10 1/16 × 13 7/8 in.) sheet: 35 × 46.5 cm (13 3/4 × 18 5/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Virginia and Ira Jackson Collection
Accession Number
2000.180.49
Art Historical Context
Pierre Bonnard's *The Street at Night in the (Rue, le soir, sous pluie)*, created around 1897 and published in1899, captures the moody allure of a nocturnal urban scene. As a key member of the Nabis group—a Post-Impressionist collective influenced by Paul Gauguin—Bonnard was renowned for his intimate, decorative depictions of everyday life. This color lithograph proof reflects the fin-de-siècle fascination with modern Paris, blending realism with poetic atmosphere through glistening pavements and hazy streetlights. Printed on thin wove paper, the work showcases Bonnard's mastery of color lith...
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...