Boulevard de Clichy

Artist Pierre Bonnard (1867 - 1947)

Datec. 1911

MediumOil on canvas

Dimensions50 × 69 cm

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineCollection & image © Hugh Lane Gallery. Donated by the Friends of the National Collections of Ireland, 1941.

Object number861

DescriptionFrom as early as 1889 Bonnard had become fascinated by the changing patterns formed by people passing along the streets of Paris in the neighbourhood of his successive studios near Place de Clichy, Montmartre. He depicts the Boulevard de Clichy on a rainy day with the dome of the Sacré Coeur in Montmartre, visible in the background. This modern-life subject reflects Bonnard's interest in the human dimension of the city with more emphasis placed on the figures rather than architectural verisimilitude.

In its freely brushed surfaces, this painting reveals Bonnard's return to a handling closer to Impressionism, in contrast to his paintings of the 1890s with their more linear style. Bonnard's skill lay in representing a precise moment in the day, almost like a freeze-frame from an early silent film. Precedents for the composition of this work can be found in Japanese wood-block prints, photography and the work of Degas. An interest in decorative and applied art is evident in his treatment of the young girl's coat in the foreground. Bonnard began his artistic career as a graphic artist and designer-decorator. Like Vuillard, he was a member of the Symbolist group the Nabis (the Hebrew word for prophet).

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