After the huge death toll of the war, including 2 major painters, a week in Paris in May resulted in a further 7,000 deaths, and the destruction of public buildings. Hardly a painter in France wasn’t affected.
Monet
Marthe starts painting, but Bonnard falls in love and has an affair. More superb paintings, here mainly in northern France.
A steady stream of colourful landscapes, from the south and north of France, with many still lives, and the occasional nude figure. But Bonnard also had something of a crisis to deal with.
His paintings gain light and vibrant colour from time at Saint Tropez, and he paints a huge triptych showing the Mediterranean: one of the major paintings of the 20th century.
Slow to be taken up, as they were so expensive and Chrome Yellow almost as good, they then came to dominate palettes, until their sudden fall from favour.
Focussing his development and innovation on his intimate domestic scenes, he brought a new light, more mirror play, and a first glimpse of his future style.
Two pigments: straight Chromium Oxide, which is rather dull, and the more intense Viridian. Paintings by Böcklin, Renoir, Manet, Monet, Seurat, van Gogh, and Cézanne.
Paintings of boats inspired by a cruise with the composer Ravel, optical play with mirrors, and four distinctive panels for his patron Misia’s apartment.
Painting Paris street scenes through the winter, Bonnard and Marthe left the city for the country and coast over the summer.
A mainstay for the Impressionists, their use in domestic products like wallpaper and even clothing killed people in the 19th century. Probably not Napoleon, though.
