Vase with Flowers
1920
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
overall: 43.18 × 38.1 cm (17 × 15 in.) framed: 52.07 × 46.67 × 3.81 cm (20 1/2 × 18 3/8 × 1 1/2 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CMC
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Accession Number
2014.18.2
Art Historical Context
Pierre Bonnard's *Vase with Flowers*1920), an intimate oil on canvas measuring just 17 × 15 inches, captures the artist's lifelong fascination with domestic still lifes. Painted in the serene aftermath of World War I, this work reflects Bonnard's retreat to his sun-drenched home in the south of France, where he immersed himself in the simple joys of everyday objects. The small scale invites viewers close, much like peering into a personal vignette from his life. As a key figure in the Post-Impressionist group Les Nabis, Bonnard revolutionized still-life painting with his luminous color palett...
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...