Before Dinner

Pierre Bonnard French

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 955

Pierre Bonnard often painted the familiar interiors of his residence, whether in Paris, Vernon, or Le Cannet. Here the artist presents a shimmering still life of a\dinnertime table setting in Vernon, his house near Monet’s Giverny in Normandy. His protagonists have little dialogue, clearly lost in their own thoughts. Only the family dachshund anticipates the meal and its conviviality. The interior’s absence of perspective, flattening of forms, and decorative surface patterns in warm hues are central to Bonnard’s aesthetic.

#4815. Before Dinner

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Before Dinner, Pierre Bonnard (French, Fontenay-aux-Roses 1867–1947 Le Cannet), Oil on canvas

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Before Dinner, Pierre Bonnard (French, Fontenay-aux-Roses 1867–1947 Le Cannet), Oil on canvas
Before Dinner, Pierre Bonnard (French, Fontenay-aux-Roses 1867–1947 Le Cannet), Oil on canvas
Before Dinner, Pierre Bonnard (French, Fontenay-aux-Roses 1867–1947 Le Cannet), Oil on canvas
Before Dinner, Pierre Bonnard (French, Fontenay-aux-Roses 1867–1947 Le Cannet), Oil on canvas

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