2008 Woodie Awards
French friends are compared in BMA exhibit
The exhibit on Bonnard and Vuillard traces their careers through cultural club meetings and a shared love of lithography
Issue date: 4/24/08
Both artists found lithography one of the most liberating mediums and most of their work on display at the exhibit are prints.
Printmaking allowed them to experiment with vibrant colors, typhography and unique perspectives.
One of the highlights of the exhibit is the six-part series by Vuillard called The Pastry Shop. The breakdown of the one print enables the viewer to see the complexity of a lithograph.
The first room of the intimate exhibit showcased the early years of the two artists, primarily in the 1890s, when they were still members of Les Nabis. The similarities between the two artists are remarkable.
However, once Nabis disbanded in the early 20th century, the artists went their separate ways stylistically.
Bonnard moved away from Paris, down to the CĂ´te d'Azure with his wife and began to focus more on countryside landscapes and simplistic still lifes. He also adapted more of an impressionistic style and prefered a brighter palette.
Vuillard produced more landscapes and decorative panels. Toward his last few years, he focused solely on portraiture. His color usage veered to a much paler side.
The BMA exhibit displays the work of Bonnard and Vuillard in an unobtrusive manner--one could barely tell it was a new exhibit.
The collection certainly contained more 1890s Vuillard and more 1900s Bonnard. Yet the inequality in quantity did not temper the quietly well done comparison of these two good friends.
Printmaking allowed them to experiment with vibrant colors, typhography and unique perspectives.
One of the highlights of the exhibit is the six-part series by Vuillard called The Pastry Shop. The breakdown of the one print enables the viewer to see the complexity of a lithograph.
The first room of the intimate exhibit showcased the early years of the two artists, primarily in the 1890s, when they were still members of Les Nabis. The similarities between the two artists are remarkable.
However, once Nabis disbanded in the early 20th century, the artists went their separate ways stylistically.
Bonnard moved away from Paris, down to the CĂ´te d'Azure with his wife and began to focus more on countryside landscapes and simplistic still lifes. He also adapted more of an impressionistic style and prefered a brighter palette.
Vuillard produced more landscapes and decorative panels. Toward his last few years, he focused solely on portraiture. His color usage veered to a much paler side.
The BMA exhibit displays the work of Bonnard and Vuillard in an unobtrusive manner--one could barely tell it was a new exhibit.
The collection certainly contained more 1890s Vuillard and more 1900s Bonnard. Yet the inequality in quantity did not temper the quietly well done comparison of these two good friends.
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