The Little Bonnard
Written and Illustrated by
Catherine De Duve
Published by Happy Museum
Catherine De Duve's fantastic introductory book series for youngsters interested in art and artists covers a wide range of subjects and art styles, and with "The Little Bonnard" we're off to the sunny South of France (we wish!) to visit one of the most influential and groundbreaking artists of the last two centuries.
Pierre Bonnard (Born in 1867, died in 1947) was a member of "Les Nabis", a group of post-impressionist artists. From his early career right through to his death, Bonnard was a pioneer of the use of colour and light in his paintings, mostly from memory, of a wide range of subjects.
His skills were incredible, and it's lovely to see a book crammed with a ton of facts about his life, his working surroundings and the characters he met and worked with during his career (including Toulouse Lautrec and Maurice Denis, another member of Les Nabis).
But the paintings speak loudest, with their incredible colours and use of light - brought to life here in Catherine's descriptive way ensuring that the book has a really wide range of age appeal (absolutely perfect for Charlotte who is well and truly on the path of loving learning about art and artists and swiftly identifying her favourites).
A brilliant learning resource but also a fascinating book detailing the story of Bonnard's life.
Charlotte's best bit: Bonnard's beautiful paintings of Paris
Daddy's Favourite bit: This book looks deceptively tiny and thin but crammed into its innards is a wealth of knowledge about a truly amazing artist. Look out for more in Catherine's "Little" series detailing the lives and works of other artists too!
(Kindly sent to us for review by GMC / Happy Museum)