Blond Nude Seated

Blond Nude Seated from 1931 is one of several works in which Bonnard specifies hair color in the title, distinguishing different figures or different paintings within his recurring subject. Whether or not this depicts Marthe, the seated posture and absorbed quality of the figure is consistent with his broader project of representing interiority: a figure unaware of or unconcerned by being seen. The 1930s were productive but increasingly shaped by Marthe's declining health; Bonnard continued to paint with extraordinary vitality even as his domestic circumstances became more difficult. The painting's current location is unspecified, suggesting private ownership.

The seated posture compresses the figure into a compact form, allowing Bonnard to play the skin tones against the chair and floor around the figure. The typically vibrating color relationships between warm and cool tones generate the visual energy that replaces conventional academic modeling.