Fruit Basket 1946

Pierre Bonnard created this painting, Fruit Basket, during a time of significant change in the art world and in French society. Looking closely, we can see how Bonnard's use of vibrant color and flattened perspective departs from traditional academic painting. It reflects the influence of movements like Impressionism and Post-Impressionism. Yet, Bonnard also resists easy categorization, carving out a unique space for himself. His paintings are less overtly political, such as Courbet. Instead, they embrace intimacy and domesticity, as seen here in the motif of a fruit basket. Bonnard's paintings invite us to consider the shifting values of the French middle class in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and to reflect on the changing role of art. By consulting exhibition reviews, and family letters, we can gain a deeper appreciation of the social and cultural forces that shaped Bonnard's artistic vision. This makes the artwork and our understanding of it, something that is contingent on social and institutional context.