Artwork
The Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe is a print by the Impressionist artist Pierre Bonnard. It dates from 1899 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
He watched these scenes from his window in Montmartre, capturing how light and movement shaped the city.
You see the Arc de Triomphe surrounded by busy Paris streets, drawn in soft colors and loose lines. People walk past carts and trees, going about their day.
This is one of a series of prints made in 1899, showing quiet moments in Paris instead of grand events. Bonnard focused on everyday life — shoppers, strollers, vendors — not famous landmarks. He watched these scenes from his window in Montmartre, capturing how light and movement shaped the city.
Look next at the subject: france, 19th century.
Overview
This 1899 suite of colour lithographs by Pierre Bonnard records everyday Parisian life as seen from his Montmartre studio. Rather than illustrating iconic monuments, the prints capture ordinary street activity, park leisure, and nocturnal urban scenes, each rendered with soft hues and fluid lines.
Subject & Meaning
The images portray bustling neighbourhoods: shoppers, pedestrians, vendors, children, and dogs populate the streets, while one scene situates figures in the Bois de Boulogne, a popular public park. Bonnard frequently includes the fashionable young Parisienne, embodying the modern urban woman of the era.
Technique & Style
Executed in colour lithography, the series employs loose drawing and a restrained palette to suggest atmosphere. Nighttime prints feature the glow of gaslight reflected on wet cobblestones, producing bright yellow accents against dark backgrounds, emphasizing the interplay of artificial light and movement.
History & Provenance
Created in 1899, the suite reflects Bonnard’s practice of observing city life from his studio window in Montmartre. The prints were produced as a cohesive group, documenting a specific moment in late‑19th‑century Paris rather than commemorating historic events.
Context
At the turn of the century Paris was undergoing rapid modernization, with expanding boulevards, electric lighting, and a growing middle class. Bonnard’s focus on quotidian scenes aligns with contemporary artistic interests in capturing modern life’s fleeting impressions.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Pierre Bonnard was a French painter, illustrator and printmaker, known especially for the stylized decorative qualities of his paintings and his bold use of color.
