Nude in front of the fireplace

Nude in Front of the Fireplace from 1919, held at the Annonciade Museum in Saint-Tropez, places the nude in a winter domestic setting rather than the summer-light bathroom that dominates much of Bonnard's nude production. The fireplace introduces warmth both literally and chromatically, creating an alternative light source to the windows and bathroom tiles of his more typical settings. Bonnard painted extensively in his Normandy home, South of France residences, and Parisian apartments, and the variety of interiors in his work reflects genuine movement between different climates.

The firelight creates an unusually warm, directional light source in Bonnard's typically diffused interior scenes. The figure is rendered in ochres and pinks against the deeper reds of the fire surround, with the surrounding room receding into cooler shadows.