Lecture

Pierre Bonnard, Painting Pleasure
Lecture

Pierre Bonnard, “The Large Garden”, 1895. Oil on canvas. Musée d'Orsay, Paris; gift of Jean-Claude Bellier in memory of his father, Alphonse Bellier, 1982, RF 1982-58. Image courtesy of FAMSF.

Why does the art of Pierre Bonnard (1867-1947) continue to captivate audiences today, long after he created it? What made Bonnard’s paintings so distinctly modern? In this illustrated lecture, James Housefield demonstrates that the answer to both questions can be found in the word pleasure.

Date: Saturday, April 23, 2016
Time: 2:00 - 3:00 PM
Place: The Palace of the Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, in the Florence Gould Theater 
100 34th Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94121

Pierre Bonnard’s art draws audiences into the act of painting as a pleasurable vocation. At the same time, his art emphasizes pleasures we all experience when we relish small details of daily life. Bonnard’s success at depicting pleasure distinguishes his art. At the center of this talk we will examine works on display in the exhibition Pierre Bonnard: Painting Arcadia, including the large painting Pleasure (1910). Bonnard’s art rewards careful looking; his painting is “Slow Art,” to be savored the way the Slow Food movement suggests a meal might be enjoyed most pleasurably. Bring friends, and share the pleasure of Bonnard’s visual feast.

This event is held in conjunction with the exhibition Pierre Bonnard: Painting Arcadia. The Legion of Honor is the only North American venue for this exhibition organized by the Musée d’Orsay, Paris.
More information about Pierre Bonnard can be found here

Additionally, April 23 is the concluding day for the exhibition “Sanctuary,” displaying student creations from universities across the region in celebration of the 20th annual New Generations Student Showcase (exhibition at the de Young Museum, the Legion’s partner museum, located in Golden Gate Park). One ticket gives access to both museums.
Access ticket information here

This lecture stems from Professor Housefield’s research in French art and design of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and relates to the class he will teach during Fall quarter 2016, History of Modern art, Manet to circa 1900 (AHI 183B, next offered Fall 2016, meets TR 12:10-1:30 pm). 

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