Before Henri Matisse found his stroke, attacking canvases with color, he yearned to be like Pierre Bonnard and Édouard Vuillard.
The lifelong friends and critical members of the avant garde group Nabis ? lauded as two of the most important French artists at the turn of the 20th century ? are the focus of the Baltimore Museum of Art?s latest exhibit.
Curator Katy Rothkopf presents the duo?s paintings, lithographs, drawings, etchings, posters and illustrated books beside each other in chronological order from 1893 to 1935 to show how the artists progressed and how the pair affected each other?s works.
“It?s rare to extend the exhibit from the main gallery into the second room, but there are so many beauties, I couldn?t stop,” Rothkopf said. “Many of these works have not been shown for some time.”
In the first of two galleries, commercial posters reveal Bonnard and Vuillard would mold any subject into a innovative image in order to get their work before audiences.
Inspired by Paul Gaugin and Japanese prints, Bonnard and Vuillard, known for their luminescent, intimate interiors, experimented with cropping, unusual perspectives, complex compositions and broad, flat areas of color and patterned surfaces.
“Bonnard and Vuillard took off where Impressionists stopped,” Rothkopf said. “The Impressionist were really interested in showing one fleeting moment ? a path by the river in instant perfection. Post-Impressionists rejected that idea and wanted to show more meaning.”
Art historians connect the fascinating, intricate patterns ever-present as fabrics in Vuillard?s worksto his family?s involvement in the textile industry. Also, Vuillard?s intense romantic feelings for several married women throughout his career proved fruitful, providing subjects for several works. Pining after the wife with great passion, he would grow involved with the couple, eventually becoming the third wheel, Rothkopf said. These couples often secured jobs for Vuillard.
Six printer?s proofs of Vuillard?s “The Pastry Shop” exposes the evolution of the taxing, complicated printing process.
Bonnard?s poster “La Revue blanche” for the literary journal, his crayon lithograph “The Bath,” an intimate view of a woman unaware of the viewer and “Seated Nude,” an oil on canvas where he explores color and atmosphere standout in the show.
IF YOU GO
Bonnard & Vuillard
Where: Baltimore Museum of Art, Art Museum Drive, Baltimore
When: Through Aug. 10
Info: 443-573-1700Bonnard?s Basket of Fruit
