Seated Nude
Bonnard is known for his intense use of color, especially in areas with swift, small brush strokes and close values. Here, Bonnard employed a palette composed mostly of orange, blue, and lavender to convey intimate subtleties of the female form illuminated by an indistinct light source. The viewer encounters the seated nude from a level perspective, or perhaps slightly below. By resting her weight behind her on her right hand, she gently thrusts her shoulder upward, while her faintly arching back pushes her breasts forward. Her downward face shifts her hair to shield her eyes.
Artwork Details
- Title: Seated Nude
- Artist: Pierre Bonnard (French, Fontenay-aux-Roses 1867–1947 Le Cannet)
- Date: 1919
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: Sight: 33 1/2 × 25 5/8 in. (85.1 × 65.1 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Bequest of Eugenie Fromer, 2013
- Object Number: 2013.638
- Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
- Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art
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