1939, Pierre Bonnard, The Terrace at Vernonnet -- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)
From the museum label: Bonnard's home in Normandy, France is the subject of this composition, which the artist began in 1920 and continued to paint intermittently until 1939. This large-scale painting, reminiscent of a decorative screen or tapestry, demonstrates the artist's enduring interest in the translation of physical space and light into color and brushwork. The terrace offered Bonnard a transitional space to set this scene-family members, furniture, food, and drink are complicated by a lush landscape that acts almost like a theatrical backdrop. This framing effect is underscored by the walls and large tree that compress activity and enhance the sense of movement. The architectural spaces conjured by Bonnard's canvas and Olowe of Ise's veranda post (nearby)-an intimate garden terrace and a site for diplomatic receptions, respectively-explore notions of the threshold and the energy of social gathering spaces.
1939, Pierre Bonnard, The Terrace at Vernonnet -- Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York)
From the museum label: Bonnard's home in Normandy, France is the subject of this composition, which the artist began in 1920 and continued to paint intermittently until 1939. This large-scale painting, reminiscent of a decorative screen or tapestry, demonstrates the artist's enduring interest in the translation of physical space and light into color and brushwork. The terrace offered Bonnard a transitional space to set this scene-family members, furniture, food, and drink are complicated by a lush landscape that acts almost like a theatrical backdrop. This framing effect is underscored by the walls and large tree that compress activity and enhance the sense of movement. The architectural spaces conjured by Bonnard's canvas and Olowe of Ise's veranda post (nearby)-an intimate garden terrace and a site for diplomatic receptions, respectively-explore notions of the threshold and the energy of social gathering spaces.