Coin de rue 1899

Curator: Pierre Bonnard’s 1899 color lithograph, "Coin de rue," held at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, offers a slice of Parisian street life. It’s fascinating to consider it as a mass-produced print designed for broad distribution. Editor: Ah, it makes me feel like I’m peeking through a rain-streaked window! There’s a kind of bustling energy caught in this hazy moment. I love the way the figures are suggested, not fully defined; more like fleeting impressions than portraits. Curator: Precisely! The medium itself, lithography, allowed Bonnard to mimic the fluidity of drawing. He exploited its capacity for layering and subtle color gradations, which was pretty radical at the time. These aren't individualized portraits so much as types produced by rapid industrial society. Editor: So it's less about romanticising Paris and more about the gritty reality of everyday commerce and movement? I am picking up the very stylish outfits of some pedestrians though - it almost seems like fashion drawing in places. Curator: Definitely. Consider the context: lithography's boom meant affordable art, blurring high/low culture lines. Bonnard’s deliberate embrace of these “lower” mediums provided wider public exposure for fine artists as fine art, traditionally paintings and sculptures, had little exposure to ordinary people.. Editor: Still, even with its roots in production and accessibility, I feel like he transforms a seemingly ordinary street scene into something poetic, wouldn't you agree? The pale light feels quite romantic somehow despite his clear-eyed view of people from all walks of life! Curator: Agreed. While acknowledging the machinery of production and distribution, there’s also room for the kind of ephemeral, evocative experience art can create. I mean, without lithography how many more could enjoy this very modern glimpse of city life in its day? Editor: That tension between mechanical reproduction and artistic vision feels quite modern, really. Like a snapshot from the past that speaks volumes. Thank you! Curator: An intriguing intersection to ponder, isn’t it? Food for thought, indeed.