Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
"Pierre Bonnard first studied art at the Academy Jullian with fellow classmate Ambroise Vollard. Together they formed the cornerstone of the Nabi group. The Nabis manipulated color and composition to evoke a feeling or mood in their art. Bonnard was most influenced by Gauguin and Redon, and through his association with Abroise Vollard, he started working with Auguste Clot. Bonnard and Clot’s collaboration resulted in a collection of lithographs including the street scene shown here. The collection is entitled “A Few Aspects of Life in Paris.” Bonnard then largely abandoned color lithography in 1900, and his last color prints were related to his paintings of landscapes and interiors, made in La Cannet in the south of France.
Paris, Street Scene from Above is shown from a raised perspective, looking out of a window or from a rooftop toward Parisians in the street below. The most prominent color is yellow, used for clouds and for sidewalks lining the street. Although figures are present, one can not see any distinct features. The figure in the middle of the street seems to be carrying an umbrella since a circle is indicated where the head should be. The apartment buildings in this print frame the scene and make the viewer focus in the figures on the street. This lithograph is executed rapidly, making the overall composition appear unified. Pierre Bonnard created lithographs that are immediate and spontaneous, and that deal with everyday events rather than emphasizing individual figures. Bonnard worked in the era of Art Nouveau. It was an international art movement emphasizing organic shapes and having roots that go back to Romanticism, Symbolism, and the English Arts and Crafts Movement.
Kristen Busenbark "