Woman Sitting (Femme Assise) by Pierre Bonnard

Woman Sitting (Femme Assise) - Pierre Bonnard - Figurative Oil Painting Wall Decor

About This Piece

For collectors searching portrait oil painting, Woman Sitting (Femme Assise) is a dependable choice. Painted in layered oils on canvas after Pierre Bonnard, this post-impressionist work reads equally well as classic canvas wall art and as a thoughtful housewarming gift.

The Story Behind the Painting

circa 1907
Oil on paper laid down on canvas
Private Collection, California.

In the present work Bonnard depicts a contemplative woman relaxing on her chaise lounge in an interior scene. The sitter of this picture is unknown, however the artist preferred to use close friends, such as Misia Godebska and his wife, Marthe, as models. According to Nicholas Watkins, "there was often a conflict between the twin demands of achieving a likeness and making a painting"(Bonnard, London, 1994, p. 103). Although Bonnard did receive several official commissions at this time, most of the portraits that he painted were of unamed sitters. Portraiture did present him with some problems. Even in close-up studies his decorative style would always involve the subjugation of individual character in the interests of the overall mood.

Around the time the present work was completed, Bonnard was withdrawing from Paris more and more and spending his time traveling and in the countryside, particularly in the south of France. Both Matisse and Bonnard drew much inspiration from the brilliant light and colors of the south of France, where the two lived and worked during the most oroductive years of their careers. Elderfield discusses the similarities of these artists’ interior scenes and the sensuality inherent in their work: “Matisse and Bonnard do not only cause intended workings of visual perception to be represented for the beholder, they also cause them to serve a representational purpose. But they are able to do this only because they allow the painting’s own sensational visual character to be noticed”. Although Bonnard and Matisse were receiving similar influences, they chose to go in opposite directions of one another stylistically. Nicholas Watkins writes of this period “. . . . he [Bonnard] remained seemingly untouched by the need to find an equivalent for the heady sensations of the south in exuberant brushstrokes and explosive combination of color”. Thus we see in Femme assise Bonnard embracing the atmospheric and naturalistic, characteristics that defined Impressionism rather than of the Nabi with which he was associated early in his career.

As gallery wall art, the piece pairs naturally with other post-impressionist wall art and with warm neutrals, timber, and soft natural light.

100% Hand Painted on Canvas

Materials matter for post-impressionist wall decor. That is why this piece is built on artist-grade canvas with lightfast oil colors, applied by hand rather than output from a printer, and sealed for long-term display.

What Is Included

• A true oil-on-canvas painting produced manually by our artists — not a mass-produced print.
• An extra 2-inch blank border is left around all edges for easy stretching and framing.
• Direct-from-studio worldwide delivery with no third-party resellers.
• Available canvas sizes for this hand painted oil painting: 20 X 24 in, 24 X 36 in, 30 X 40 in, 36 X 48 in, 48 X 72 in.
• Made-to-measure options are available for this figurative canvas.
• We work with DHL, UPS, FedEx, USPS and additional couriers to keep delivery affordable.
• Free professional stretching on wooden stretcher bars — contact us for framing options.
• Every order includes a pre-shipment digital preview for your approval.

Styling & Placement

Style it over a fireplace, behind a reading chair, or along a staircase. Wherever it goes, this post-impressionist oil painting wall decor adds the layered color that only a hand painted canvas provides.

Delivery, Sizes & Guarantee

Whether the search term is portrait oil painting, gallery wall art, or post-impressionist oil painting wall decor, this hand painted canvas delivers the same thing: a real painted surface, made to your chosen dimensions.