The painting of Vétheuil was composed by Pierre BONNARD in 1902. It is now part of a private collection.
Fascinated by the changing visions of nature, Pierre BONNARD devotes himself to landscapes without forcing himself to reproduce all the motifs of reality. For him, nature is above all a source of inspiration. He then recomposes his feelings in his studio, unlike Claude MONET who felt the need to be outdoors.
Appreciating Normandy for its light and its changing skies, he visited Claude MONET for the first time in 1909, accompanied by Édouard VUILLARD. The presence of MONET in the region will encourage him to settle there. Discovering Vernonnet the following year (on the banks of the Seine, less than 5 km from Giverny), he rented, then bought a small house that he called "Ma Roulotte" with a magnificent view of the Seine.
He kept it until 1936 and painted about a hundred landscapes there. He regularly visited Claude MONET who for him "liberated French painting".
Initially rejected by many impressionists (notably Camille PISSARRO as a nabi or "symbolist"), he shared many passions with Claude MONET, including nature, but also their garden... and the car.
Claude MONET liked to have the opinion of his younger brother, as attested by a letter from the time when he was working on his "Grandes Décorations" on the theme of water lilies, destined for the Musée de l'Orangerie: " I would be very happy to see you, and if you have a free moment today, that would be very good for me, because I would like to show you the state of my great machines " (Letter from Claude Monet to Pierre Bonnard, Giverny, Wednesday, April 26, 1916, private collection).
In 1936, Pierre BONNARD settled permanently in Le Cannet where he had acquired a property in 1926.
To learn more about Pierre BONNARD, click here.
