The whisper of color: Bonnard's artistic cosmos

He was a painter for painters: Pierre Bonnard's work was admired by fellow artists and critics, but for a long time he remained relatively unknown outside this small circle. It was only after his death that his leading position in modernism was recognized by the general public and his paintings were appreciated accordingly. For example, some of Bonnard's works were exhibited at documenta III in Kassel in 1964, almost 20 years after his death. Bonnard often painted interiors, but the most important thing for him was not the painted object or scene, but the color and light. Through them, the painter conveyed emotions and atmosphere, the fleeting aspects of everyday life. Bonnard is regarded as one of the painters who developed his own style, which could not really be assigned to an art movement. The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. is opening an exhibition with the fitting title Bonnard's World, in which highly acclaimed paintings as well as virtually unknown works provide a comprehensive look at the painter's oeuvre. The exhibits can be seen there from March 2 to June 2.

In his early years, Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) was part of the student artists' group Nabis, which aimed to raise the profile of decorative aspects of painting in particular. Bonnard is difficult for art historians to categorize; he is classified as either Post-Impressionism, Symbolism or Intimism, a little-known intermediate movement between the first two.