Estate of the Artist
Wildenstein & Co., New York
Roy F. Huffington, Houston (acquired from the above in October 1985; sale: Christie's, New York, 4th November 2010, lot 301)
Private Collection (purchased at the above sale; sale: Christie's, New York, 13th November 2015, lot 1400)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Jean & Henry Dauberville, Bonnard, Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint, Paris, 1974, vol. IV, no. 01950, illustrated p. 285

The canvas is lined. Inspection under UV light reveals a thick varnish preventing the light from fully penetrating. However, there are scattered strokes of retouching along the extreme edges and a further spot of retouching to the upper right and lower left edges. The tacking edges are reinforced with tape. There is a raised arching line running down from the centre right of the upper edge measuring approx. 4cm. There are fine stable lines of craquelure, notably in the houses. There are small losses to the pigment in the lower left and lower right corners at the edges the largest of which measure 3cm in length and are not visible when framed, as well as further small losses to the centre of the right edge. The work is in overall good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In the last decade of the nineteenth century, Bonnard sought inspiration in the day-to-day life of the Parisian bourgeoisie. He and his Nabis colleagues employed these settings—cafés, theatres, and the like—to explore the concept and psyche of the modern city-dweller. After the turn of the century, however, Bonnard’s work began to increasingly favour more rural motifs, focusing in particular on the landscape of the countryside, as seen in the present work. It was around this time that he began to rent a summer house in the Seine valley north of Paris. The move was in part precipitated by his companion, Marthe, who disapproved of the constant social gatherings with Bonnard’s compatriots and sought seclusion. Light and modulated colour are core elements of Arbres en fleurs, maison blanche. The composition demonstrates Bonnard’s inherited artistic affinity with the Impressionist style; the lively brushstrokes evoke Monet’s landscapes. Yet, Jean-Louis Prat notes: 'Bonnard always developed his own visual language, firmly rooted in reality. He did not, like Monet, virtually do away with the subject itself. He always used forms, without experimenting with abstraction, or even contemplating it' (Jean-Louis Prat, 'Pierre Bonnard or An Enduring Painter', in Bonnard (exhibition catalogue), Foundation Pierre Gianadda, Martigny, 1999, p. 19). This work precedes the final stage in Bonnard’s artistic maturation to a post-impressionist rejection of traditional perspective. Reflecting on his career in 1935, Bonnard stated: 'I have become a painter of landscapes, not because I have painted landscapes—I have done only a few—but because I have acquired the soul of a landscape painter insofar as I have been able to free myself of everything picturesque, aesthetical or any other convention that has been poisoning me' (quoted in Antoine Terrasse, 'Some Thoughts on Pierre Bonnard', in Bonnard (exhibition catalogue), Galerie Salis, Salzburg, 1991, n.p.).