Bonnard2023

3. House in the Valley , c. 1922

Watercolor, oil, gouache and pencil on paper 11 x 15 3 ⁄ 8 inches ( 28 x 39 cm) Signed lower left provenance: James Kirkman, London; Neffe Degandt Fine Art, London; Sold by Jill Newhouse Gallery, 2006 ; Private Collection.

From 1910 to 1938 , Bonnard lived in a house he named Ma Roulotte (My Gypsy Caravan) in the town of Vernon close to Giverny. Throughout 1922 , he recorded views of the sloping road leading to Vernon and the village roof tops, oddly abstracted by their positions among the hills. Bonnard was a great admirer of Monet, now nearly his neighbor, and during this time his brush work began to broaden and his palette to brighten. In this work, Bonnard recorded the brightness of greens and blues in the diffused and cloudy Normandy light with extraordinary layers of colors and a variety of marks. Bonnard’s distinctive pencil work can be seen through layers of gouache and oil paints as he worked to catch the movement and freshness of the countryside.