Movement of the Street

Painted in 1907 and held at the Phillips Collection, this street scene with urban movement connects Bonnard's sustained interest in the animated Parisian street to his developing mature chromatic approach. By 1907 the early Nabi flatness had given way to a more atmospheric treatment of urban subjects — the street as a field of colour and light rather than graphic pattern. The Phillips Collection's Bonnard holdings are particularly strong in the middle-period works that document the transition from early Nabi style to the fully chromatic late paintings. Street movement — crowds, vehicles, the kinetic rhythm of urban life — was a subject Bonnard had engaged since the early 1890s poster work.

The street's figures and vehicles create animated movement across the composition. The palette captures the specific quality of Parisian daylight — grey-silver sky, warm stone buildings, the varied hues of human clothing. The brushwork is fluid and gestural, capturing movement rather than static scene.