Bath bomb …
This 1936 work is one of four paintings Pierre Bonnard made of his partner, Marthe de Méligny, lying in the bath. It makes the ancient reclining nude setup, with its oft-used “secret” peek of women preparing for the day, new and strange.
Dead calm …
For De Méligny, bathing was a form of therapy – and practically a compulsion – prescribed for lifelong health problems. The self-composed stillness brought on by a good soak is a little creepy here: is this a woman in the tub or a corpse entombed?
Heaven sent …
On the other hand, it glows with the everyday sublime, belying the reality of her ill health. Light floods the tiles on wall and floor, transforming them into Byzantine mosaics, like a divine visitation.
Washed away …
Her naked body is not necessarily the first thing you notice. She is but one floating element, mingling with the reflections of light.
Memories are made of this …
Though the domestic world Bonnard captured was, by its nature, confined, his paintings have the slippery quality of memories and dreams.
Pierre Bonnard: The Colour of Memory, Tate Modern, SE1, to 6 May
