The Checkered Blouse

Painted in 1892 and held at the Musée d'Orsay, this early work is a prime example of Bonnard's Japonisme-influenced approach to the female figure in the 1890s. The checkered blouse — a strong, graphic pattern applied to a figure in a domestic or outdoor setting — demonstrates the Nabi principle of decorative patterning applied to the human figure. At the same moment, Bonnard was producing the graphic designs and poster work that established his early reputation; the visual intelligence of pattern, outline, and two-dimensional surface organisation is applied here to oil painting. The Orsay holding connects this early work to the canon of French Post-Impressionist figure painting.

The checkered pattern of the blouse creates a strong graphic element that dominates the composition. The figure's form is partially abstracted into the pattern. The surrounding environment is rendered with greater simplicity, allowing the garment's patterning to assert decorative primacy.