Staande naakte vrouw wast zich 1923 - 1927

Editor: This is "Standing Nude Woman Washing Herself" by Pierre Bonnard, an etching, placing it somewhere between 1923 and 1927. I am immediately struck by the density of the lines, the composition feels incredibly intimate... What draws your eye? Curator: I concur. The work embodies a unique synthesis of form and content through line and shadow, and their relationship to each other. Note the dominance of vertical lines versus horizontals within a very constrained picture plane, then consider how they might serve as metaphors in defining the representation of this female figure in space. The compressed foreground flattens against a receding backdrop of hatch marks depicting perhaps, wallpaper or wood paneling. Observe the figure standing in a posture on what could be a towel: this round ‘platform’ disrupts the consistent vertical lines in the etching. What, in your view, might this mean to our understanding? Editor: That’s interesting…I see how the towel adds an interruption and also echoes other curves. To me, the texture overall gives the work a certain… tactile quality. Curator: Indeed. Bonnard creates a tension between flatness and depth, achieved via varying densities and orientations in line work, particularly noticeable across the foreground of the etching. We observe, however, a clear structure in mark making; that the subject is revealed more clearly in areas that contain less of it. I challenge us to ask, does Bonnard intend on veiling or revealing the body? Is he exploring the dichotomy within those concepts? Editor: You know, now that I see the relationship between the mark making and its absence, I agree. It’s far more strategic than initially obvious. Curator: Precisely, we find greater meaning in the intrinsic construction when a work asks more than it delivers. Editor: That certainly provides a rich approach into understanding Bonnard’s intentions. Thank you! Curator: A most worthwhile venture.