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Lot Essay
When Bonnard executed the present work towards the end of the First World War, he was already recognized as one of the most talented painters of his generation, his reputation having been fully established through the popularity of his ground-breaking Nabis interiors of the 1890s. Following this early phase, as his style evolved at the start of the twentieth century, it underwent a period of restrained chromaticism in opposition to the strident colorism of the Fauve avant-garde around him, before adopting the heightened palette that marked the latter stages of his career. The present work dates from this moment when rich, saturated hues, often deployed to explore light in nature, start to play an increasing role in his art.
Bonnard’s companion, Marthe de Méligny, whom he met in 1893 and eventually married in 1925, was a source of constant inspiration. It is likely that she served as a model for the present work, as the foremost of the two women: Marthe’s characteristically blunt profile and dark blonde hair tucked under her cloche hat are recognizable. She travelled widely with Bonnard during these years, frequently to the Mediterranean coast and to spa towns for the sake of her fragile health. A closely related painting entitled Jeunes filles et mouettes is in the collection of the Petit Palais in Paris (Dauberville, no. 922), where Marthe appears to be the farther of the two figures also set against the sea. The location for the present work may be Antibes, where Bonnard often stayed over the course of the War. The pictorial—and dramatic—possibilities of a shimmering Mediterranean acting as a background was exploited by the artist in several works around this time.
Bonnard’s companion, Marthe de Méligny, whom he met in 1893 and eventually married in 1925, was a source of constant inspiration. It is likely that she served as a model for the present work, as the foremost of the two women: Marthe’s characteristically blunt profile and dark blonde hair tucked under her cloche hat are recognizable. She travelled widely with Bonnard during these years, frequently to the Mediterranean coast and to spa towns for the sake of her fragile health. A closely related painting entitled Jeunes filles et mouettes is in the collection of the Petit Palais in Paris (Dauberville, no. 922), where Marthe appears to be the farther of the two figures also set against the sea. The location for the present work may be Antibes, where Bonnard often stayed over the course of the War. The pictorial—and dramatic—possibilities of a shimmering Mediterranean acting as a background was exploited by the artist in several works around this time.