Coffee

The painting of Pierre Bonnard that we present today was most likely created in a house he rented in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in Paris. The subject in the painting is Bonnard’s wife, Marthe (though the dog may have its importance too). The artist’s domestic life was a major focus for his work.  In Coffee, which has also been known as Afternoon Tea, oil paint has been loosely and vigorously applied to the canvas and there is evidence of colors bleeding into each other, most notably the red and white of the tablecloth. Bonnard has selected intense pigments including vermilion, cadmium and strontium yellows, cadmium orange, cobalt blue, Prussian blue, and natural ultramarine. 

Some art historians suggest that in Coffee, which was painted during the First World War, Bonnard hid himself away from what else was happening in the world and concentrated on everything that was around him. Maybe that's true. Maybe he was just an introvert. Maybe he just loved domestic, intimate scenes. 

P.S. If you're inspired by this masterpiece to make your morning (or evening) coffee, check out the most beautiful depictions of coffee drinkers in art.  :)

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