Baigneurs à la fin du jour (Bathers at the End of the Day)
Focus on the work of Pierre Bonnard, created around 1945
Bonnard found his final war years difficult, secluded in Le Cannet, deeply affected by the misfortunes striking both his country and himself. Since January 26, 1942, the painter had been more alone than ever. His wife Marthe had just died, and out of modesty, he did not inform his friends.
Marguerite and Aimé Maeght, who maintained their local ties and whose early career owed so much to Bonnard's spontaneous friendship, organized a celebration in his honor on the Lérins Islands. Could it not be imagined that it was this kind of afternoon that inspired Bonnard's magnificent and striking Baigneurs à la fin du jour?
Bathers at the end of the day (circa 1945) by Pierre BonnardMusée Bonnard
A Unique Work
This powerful and unique painting in Bonnard's body of work marks an important milestone; at nearly 80 years old, his art had achieved an extremely free expression of color and space. His quest in this maritime landscape leads him to the very limits of representation.
The work conveys an atmosphere of serenity and peace, while simultaneously evoking a melancholy characteristic of the end of the day. The bathers can be perceived as fleeting figures, suspended moments.
This soft, golden light symbolizes not only the passage of time and the transition between day and night, but also the brevity of human existence—a central theme in Bonnard's work.
Colorful Composition
The composition is structured in horizontal bands, with the sea dominating the canvas. The beach is marked by a thin yellow border, while the horizon almost merges with the sea. A group of bathers becomes simple patches of pure matter. The colors are warm to convey the late evening.
Bonnard wrote to Matisse as an admission: "I see different things every day; the sky, objects, everything changes, one can drown in it. But that makes life." The Baigneurs à la fin du jour masterfully expresses this metaphor of doubt and a glimmer of hope.
Baigneurs à la fin du jour by Pierre Bonnard is a striking work that blends abstraction and figuration, where color and matter create an intimate atmosphere. The artist succeeds in capturing the essence of an ephemeral moment, imbued with melancholy and timeless softness.
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