Beyond the Easel: Decorative Painting by Bonnard, Vuillard, Denis, and Roussel, 1890-1930

by Gloria Groom

The contributions of artists Pierre Bonnard, Edouard Vuillard, Maurice Denis, and Ker-Xavier Roussel to the avant-garde of the 1890s as members of the group known as the Nabis are widely recognized. What is less known about these artists' careers is their work in decorative painting—work on a large or unusual scale. This gorgeous book reproduces 85 decorative works carried out by the four artists between 1890 and 1930. During this time each moved beyond the illusionism of easel painting and applied his wholly untraditional aesthetic of décoration to a traditional wide range of works for domestic interiors, from wall-size ensembles to screens. The book also examines the tastes and the role of the patrons who made these works possible. Bringing together works from public and private collections, this book introduces and reunites paintings that have long been dispersed and presents to contemporary viewers bold and evocative works that literally expanded the role of painting as part of the modern experience

Genres: Art, Art History

289 pages, Hardcover

First published February 8, 2001

Reviews

[Maren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw the Bonnard, Vuillard, Denis and Roussel exhibit at the Art Institute in Chicago and a book will never do justice to the scale of some of these great works of decorative painting. Many of the massive wall and ceiling panels are reproduced in this volume and it is one of the few books to offer some of these neglected gems of the Nabis movement and offers an interesting look at the history of the art and the struggle of decorative artists to be viewed as "real artists"