Walking at the Lake, Bois de Boulogne

c. 1900

Pierre Bonnard

Associated Names
Pierre Bonnard

Painter, French, 1867 - 1947

This painting shows a bustling scene from a slightly elevated point of view. At the center is a line of tall, slender trees, with a blue body of water behind them and a gray-and-green forest on the opposite shore below a blue-gray sky. Closer to us, in front of the trees, people seem to be walking along a wide gray path that runs parallel to the water. One child near the center seems to be rolling a yellow hoop, and near the bottom left corner are two shapes that look like dogs. The brushstrokes in the painting are loose, and the bodies of the people and dogs are suggested by minimal strokes of brown, tan, red, black, and white, so that no fine details are visible. The overall color palette is earthy, with greens, browns, and grays dominating, accented by pops of red and black from the clothing of the people.
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On View

East Building Ground Level, Gallery E103


Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on millboard

  • Credit Line

    Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon

  • Dimensions

    overall: 26.7 x 28.6 cm (10 1/2 x 11 1/4 in.)
    framed: 33.7 x 36.2 x 4.4 cm (13 1/4 x 14 1/4 x 1 3/4 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2006.128.10


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Paul Mellon [1907-1999], Upperville, Virginia; bequest 1999 to NGA, with life interest to Mrs. Mellon; life interest released 2006.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

2015

  • Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947): Painting Arcadia, Musée d'Orsay, Paris; Instituto de Cultura, Fundación MAPFRE, Madrid; California Palace of the Legion of Honor, The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, 2015-2016, no. 35, ill. 56 (French cat.); no. 8, repro. (Spanish cat.); no. 59, repro. (English cat.).

Inscriptions

lower left: Bonnard

Wikidata ID

Q20190777

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