Pierre Bonnard - part 4 - graphics

1945 Self-portrait oil on canvas

This is the last part of a four-part post on the works of French artist Pierre Bonnard. For biographical notes and paintings, see parts one and two. Part three looks at Bonnard’s lithographic prints. This part looks at some of his commercial work.
Bonnard's first formal art job was a commissioned poster for France-Champagne. Using a style that was reminiscent of Japanese art with its linear, decorative line, this prize-winning poster became an outstanding success for Bonnard. It also drew the attention of other famous artists, notably Toulouse Lautrec. It is interesting to note that this poster's appearance is similar to Lautrec's style, where a joyful young woman is enjoying a glass of champagne from an overflowing bottle.

1891 France - Champagne

Bonnard continued to show his new works (mostly lithographs) at the Salon des Independants. During this time, he met Marthe Boursin, who would become his lifelong companion and model for some 384 of his paintings.
In addition to paintings and posters, Bonnard also sketched in the 1890's. As his reputation grew, he started getting more offers to produce illustrations and undertake commissioned work. In 1894, Bonnard created a poster and several lithographs for the popular La Revue Blanche magazine.