The Dessert

From the museum

This domestic scene depicts a woman at a dining table accompanied by a young man at whose side is a small dog, just visible at the edge of the table. The woman is the artist’s wife, Marthe. The boy has been identified as Ari Redon, the son of artist Odilon Redon; and the dachshund is the Bonnard family pet, Poucette. The painting explores the simple pleasures of daily life—a shared meal, quiet companionship—enriched through the application of glowing, sensual color. In this painting Pierre Bonnard gives us a colorful glimpse of an intimate dinner scene at the beginning of the 2. He places us close to the figures and a little bit higher, as if we were just standing to leave the table, allowing the viewer to imagine being part of the scene.

The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC0