1890 -1930 · Boulevard, omnibus, square and party seen as a print

Bonnard captures Paris in fragments: cut crowds, omnibuses, kiosks and night lamps transform the modern boulevard into a lively and unpredictable surface.

The young Pierre Bonnard discovered in Paris a repertoire perfectly suited to the nabi experience. After the Académie Julian, he shared with Vuillard, Denis and Sérusier the refusal of academic depth and interest in Japanese prints. Posters, lithographs and illustrations led him to simplify the crowd, cut silhouettes and distribute colors in flat areas. Rue de Parme in Paris, July 14 transformed the national holiday into a rhythm of flags, passers-by and facades. Rue de Parme in Paris, July 14 transformed the national holiday into a rhythm of flags, passers-by and facades. Morning in Paris and Evening in Paris are part of a careful look at the variations of the city, but Bonnard does not construct optical series in the style of Monet: he favors the sensation of a journey, lighting and an encounter. The quays, Place Clichy, Pigalle, Batignolles and boulevards become scenes where the eye cannot grasp everything. The Omnibus and the vehicles recall the new mobility of the capital. The framing sometimes appears photographic, with a cut character or a disproportionate foreground. After 1900, the painting softens and gains light, but retains this peripheral vision. Bonnard's Paris is neither monumental nor descriptive. It is experienced from the sidewalk, the window or the car, and its apparent disorder finds unity in color. Bonnard's Paris is neither monumental nor descriptive. It is experienced from the sidewalk, the window or the car, and its apparent disorder finds unity in color. Bonnard's Paris is neither monumental nor descriptive. It is experienced from the sidewalk, the window or the car, and its apparent disorder finds unity in color. Bonnard's Paris is neither monumental nor descriptive. It is experienced from the sidewalk, the window or the car, and its apparent disorder finds unity in color. Bonnard's Paris is neither monumental nor descriptive. It is experienced from the sidewalk, the window or the car, and its apparent disorder finds unity in color. Bonnard's Paris is neither monumental nor descriptive july 14 and Morning in Paris. His reading favors the story.

Bonnard paints Paris as one crosses it: a flag appears, an omnibus passes and the edge of the painting arrives before the eye has recognized everything.