Pierre Bonnard
At the end of the 19th century, Bonnard and the members of the Nabis group became dissatisfied with the existing forms of Western expression. They turned instead to Japanese woodblock prints, or other non-Western forms of art, for inspiration as they experimented in new forms of creativity. Bonnard was so influenced by Japanese woodblock prints that he came to be known as “the very Japanese Nabis”.
The Nabis group did not limit itself to painting, but displayed an interest in all the decorative arts including prints, posters, and furniture design. This poster of Bonnard’s, which was produced originally as an advertisement for the avant-garde Parisian magazine La Revue Blanche, speaks volubly of the range of the Nabis group’s creativity. This magazine introduced work by Marcel Proust, André Gide, the Symbolist poet Stéphane Mallarmé, and many others resulting in it becoming very influential among Parisian intellectuals. Many of the members of the Nabis group produced illustrations for the magazine, leading them to be referred to as the “Revue Blanche artists”.
The bottom half of the picture is taken up by the name of the magazine in large, unique lettering, this providing an important element of the composition. The first ‘L’ resembles a walking cane while the ‘A’ appears to be embedded in the woman’s thigh, allowing us a glimpse of the artist’s humor. A boy stands in front of the woman and behind her we can glimpse the rear view of a gentleman in a top hat; the three figures are depicted in the same tone and it is only the slight buildup of colors that hints at a feeling of depth.