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Pierre Bonnard: Color and Creativity

Pierre Bonnard was a French painter known for the stylized quality of his paintings and his bold use of color. He was a founding member for the post-impressionist avant-garde movement and a group called Les Nabis. He was heavily influenced by painters such as Paul Gauguin. Bonnard was an artist that helped transition the dominant art style of the period from impressionism to modernism.

Although he studied to become a lawyer, art was his only real passion and Bonnard devoted himself to creating new and innovative techniques for it. He painted a variety of subjects, including landscapes, urban settings, and portraits. His pieces were known for shifting compositional dominance to the background and color scheme. He managed to continue his career as a painter through both world wars and was still working on a piece up to his death in 1947. During his lifetime he avoided the spotlight, but after his death he was greatly honored by some of the biggest names in the art world for his creativity and dedication to the art form.

You can see his imaginative use of color in the landscapes he created such as Coin de Jardin Fleuri and The Garden in the Shade. There is the unique stylized way he captured people in Self Portrait and Place Clichy (Two Elegant Women). Even something as simple as a still life becomes something new and remarkable like The Yellow Pot or Carnations.

Look through the Bonnard gallery and find the beautifully hand-painted piece of art that is just right for your own home.

About the Author

Amanda graduated from the University of Kansas, where she studied English literature and got a masters degree in library sciences. She enjoys reading, cooking and playing with her nephews. Her best friend is her little dog Brady.